“I think Max was on some kind of detox!”: Christian Horner's interesting theory about Max Verstappen's fitness after 2023 F1 Qatar GP

F1 Grand Prix of Japan
Max Verstappen and Christian Horner celebrate on the podium during the 2023 F1 Japanese Grand Prix. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently talked about Max Verstappen's unprecedented fitness as he was not affected by the extreme heat conditions during the 2023 F1 Qatar GP, despite him enjoying a few drinks before the race day.

Speaking on Dax Shepard’s eff won podcast, Christian Horner stated that Red Bull decided to have a small party to celebrate Max Verstppen's third World Championship. The party was small since he won the title on a Saturday, and they needed to be focused for the main race on Sunday.

He said:

“He’s just a good guy, and he’s a fun guy. And he’s old school as well. He won the Championship in Qatar, and I said, ‘Okay, let’s get the whole team together. We’ll just have a couple of drinks. It’s not every day you win a World Championship.’
"But it was unusual to win it on a Saturday, right? We’ve a Grand Prix, by the way, in 42 degrees on Sunday. So everybody needs to be in bed at a sensible time."

Horner revealed how Max Verstappen had five gin and tonic drinks on Saturday night. Most of the team members were a bit hungover on Sunday morning. In the Qatar GP, many were having a tough time racing due to extreme weather conditions, but Verstappen, despite having a few drinks before the race day, was easily able to race and win the Grand Prix.

Horner joked that the Dutchman must be on some kind of detox to not get too affected by the heat and still perform at his best. He said:

“Max is five gin and tonics in, and we need to stop; everybody needs to go to bed now. So everybody was hanging [hungover] on Sunday. You’ve got all the drivers passing out with the heat; I think Max was on some kind of detox!”

Max Verstappen revealed he hired the bodyguards himself for the 2023 F1 Mexican GP

There were several rumors and reports that the Mexican F1 fans would not give the warmest of welcomes to Max Verstappen. Hence, Red Bull decided to place extra security around the reigning world champion during the Mexican GP.

According to Viaplay, Max Verstappen revealed that the bodyguards were hired by him and not the team. Furthermore, he normalized the extra security by saying how drivers get them in many races, and he was not the only one taking their help in Mexico.

He said:

"I arranged the bodyguards myself. That doesn't go through the team and happens quite often. It's the first time in Mexico now though, but we don't need to spend so much time on that otherwise.
"At the end of 2022, a few people may have been a bit angry. For the rest, it is a normal procedure and is part of certain countries."

Max Verstappen dominated the race and won the 2023 F1 Mexican GP, while his teammate, Sergio Perez, crashed out of his home race on Lap 1.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee
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