“I’m sure Sir Jackie made a few mistakes”– Christian Horner defends Max Verstappen over Sir Jackie Stewart comments after the Italian GP.
Max Verstappen was recently criticized for not checking on Lewis Hamilton after the collision between the two in Monza. Verstappen’s car landed over Hamilton’s halo, brushing almost with his head.
Sir Jackie Stewart was also among the people who found it inappropriate and questioned Verstappen’s maturity. In response, Christian Horner has defended his team driver by claiming the opposite of Stewarts’ comments.
Sir Jackie Stewart was clearly not impressed with the way Max Verstappen acted after the collision with Lewis Hamilton in Monza 😬 pic.twitter.com/hQGaOADWG1
— ClutchPoints Racing (@RacingOnCP) September 14, 2021
“Of course, [I] always respect Sir Jackie’s opinion, but I think Max has shown great maturity this year,” Horner told RacingNews365.com and other members of the media.
“You’re always evolving, you’re always learning, and I’m sure Sir Jackie made a few mistakes in his time. That’s the journey of life; you know from every experience.
“When you see the progression from a 17-year-old when he came into Formula 1 to the driver he is today, it’s pretty impressive.”
Lucky he’s driving our car
While Stewart also claimed that Verstappen is currently the fastest driver on the grid, Horner didn’t stretch on that statement and said he is happy to have Verstappen in his team.
“It’s always gonna be subjective and open to debate, I’m just very happy he’s driving our car,” Horner added. Verstappen will be starting the race in Russia from the last row; Toto Wolff is impressed with how Verstappen handles the whole weekend.
“Obviously, Max isn’t driving for Mercedes, so I don’t know him well, but his trajectory is impressive,” Wolff added. “Not only the speed but also the way he tackles the weekend.
“Overall, he’s not at the end of his career. There’s more to come, and part of that is the learning process.”
