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According to Christian Horner, the only thing that's changed since Max Verstappen joined the team is his experience and maturity. Max Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull in the middle of the 2016 F1 season and won his very first race with the team. Since then, the Red Bull driver has been part of the team and has grown through leaps and bounds.
All of this culminated in a title triumph last season in Abu Dhabi and even this season, it appears as though Max Verstappen is the favorite for the title as he enjoys an 80-point advantage over Charles Leclerc heading into the summer break.
In an interview with formula.hu, Christian Horner talked about how much Max Verstappen has changed since he joined the team. He said:
“Max, from the very first time he drove the car, [had] incredible natural speed, great car control, huge self-confidence, and that’s not changed at all. All that’s changed is his experience, and obviously maturity. He joined us as a teenager and now he’s 24 years of age, so that’s the only thing that’s really changed.’’
Reflecting on the first half of the season, Horner talked about how positive it has been for the team and now all that mattered was how the team fared in the second half of the season. He said:
“It’s been a really positive first half of the year – eight victories, two Sprint race victories, leading both championships. But of course, it means very little. It’s where you are at the end of the season that really counts. So whilst it’s been a very encouraging first half of the year, it’s now all about what we do in the second half of the season.’’
The racing between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen has been fantastic, says Horner
Christian Horner was questioned about his take on battling Ferrari this season, to which the Red Bull boss admitted that it was very gratifying to race against a team like Ferrari. He also mentioned how it had been amazing to see talents like Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc battle it out against each other at the front.
He said:
“I think Ferrari is an iconic brand. It’s all about what’s happening on track, and it’s very gratifying racing Ferrari. The racing between Charles [Leclerc] and Max has been fantastic this year, and hopefully that will continue.’’
The Red Bull squad is the favorite to clinch both titles this season and it is surely just a reward for the kind of results that the team is pulling off every weekend.
