“He almost seemed oblivious”– Red Bull boss Christian Horner reveals Max Verstappen didn’t let Zandvoort environment grow on him.
Max Verstappen had overwhelming support at Zandvoort (his home circuit), and the Dutchman paid his fans with an impressive win after dominating over arch-rivals Mercedes.
Christian Horner talking about the fans’ support at Zandvoort, claimed that Verstappen didn’t take the incredible support for him to his head, even though he never saw a country backing their own driver like this ever before.
ɴᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴅs 🔥 I’m so happy to win my home Grand Prix and the Orange Army, just incredible 🙌 🧡 It was an amazing team performance, thanks a lot, @redbullracing and @HondaRacingF1 🤘 A day to remember #KeepPushing 🇳🇱 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/WI1gDEkVUI
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 5, 2021
“The atmosphere here has been outstanding,” said Horner. “In my entire career, I have never heard so much support for a driver. It has been like being in a nightclub for three days.
“The way Max has handled the pressure, we have seen with other drivers at home races, sometimes that can get to them, but the intensity and noise here have been insane.
“The way he has dealt with that, he has focused on his job, and the way the team has dealt with that, I am very proud of.”
Oblivious to the Dutch party
When asked about how Verstappen focused in the presence of “never before support” for him, Horner replied by revealing that the Dutchman kept himself oblivious to all the craze.
“Not at all. Max was remarkable this weekend because of all this noise, the whole town when you drove through the town to get to the circuit, every house has got Verstappen flags.”
“There is so much support for him, and I have never seen a nation get behind a driver in this manner. From the moment we arrived, the music has been going, the intensity, and the one person that hasn’t felt it has been Max.”
“He has been focused on his own job and gone about his business in exactly the same way as he has at other races. He almost seemed oblivious as to what was happening on the other side of the fence with the mayhem and the partying that was ensuing.”
“The noise on the grid, I have never heard anything like it. He did incredibly well, with the team as well because it was a huge distraction for the team this weekend. We kept our focus and did a phenomenal job.”