Christian Horner lauded Max Verstappen for his performance in the 2021 season in a lesser performing car than Mercedes.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has no doubt that if Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were in the same car, the latter would come out at the top.
Horner praised Verstappen’s skills to get the maximum out of his RB16B which he believes was a bit weaker than Mercedes in the sec0nd half of the season. Despite Hamilton’s several achievements, Horner believes that Verstappen would come out stronger if both the drivers raced in the same car.
🗣 “Luck came at the right time”
🗣 “[Lewis Hamilton] came straight up to me… that’s what real sportsmen do… we respect each other a lot as drivers”
Max Verstappen reflects on his 2021 #F1 title – will he be victorious again in 2022? 🏆pic.twitter.com/CMATXCQJcO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) January 6, 2022
“You can’t deny anything Lewis has achieved,” Red Bull’s team principal said. ” He is one of the absolute greats and statistically the most successful in history.”
“But you put Max and Lewis in that [Mercedes] car, and I have no doubt who would come out on top. Put Lewis in our car, and I also have no doubt who would come out on top.
“With Max anything is possible. We didn’t expect to be competitive in Jeddah [at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix]. That’s mainly down to Max. I don’t think enough credit has been given to him, the way he has driven,” he further added.
Also Read: Toto Wolff is ready for Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes
Max Verstappen has always performed better than his teammates
Christian Horner thinks that Max Verstappen’s ability to come out stronger is reflected in the way he always performs better than his teammates. It is something that the 49-year-old does not believe to be the case with the seven-time world champion.
“We often see very little difference between Valtteri [Bottas] and Lewis; same with Nico [Rosberg],” Horner said.
“Max has wrung every ounce of performance out of this car this year. And since the summer and Mercedes’ upturn in speed, it has been Max who has kept us in this championship; the way he has driven.
“He’s been absolutely outstanding. Sometimes that gets overlooked, what he is able to achieve in a car with less horsepower and less performance than his rival,” he further added.
Also Read: FIA seek to avoid a repeat of the Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen controversy in 2022
