Crimson Bull group principal Christian Horner says Max Verstappen put extra effort in than in earlier years to safe a fourth drivers’ championship below stress from rivals.
Verstappen completed fifth within the Las Vegas Grand Prix to seal his fourth consecutive title, and did so after battling more and more stiff competitors from McLaren’s Lando Norris season. Horner mentioned the change in dynamic as Crimson Bull made one other dominant begin to the yr solely to see McLaren’s menace steadily rise resulted in Verstappen upping his recreation even additional,
“This was, along with 2021, the hardest,” Horner mentioned. “This one, we began the season very strongly however by Miami it was clear McLaren had made a big step.
“Via the summer season months after we had been struggling a bit with the automobile, he was nonetheless second in Silverstone, second in Zandvoort and (Max) was nonetheless selecting up large podiums and outcomes. Behind the scenes he was placing a large quantity of effort in with the engineers, designers and on the simulator – greater than any of the earlier years.
“He’s been excellent this yr – not solely what he’s carried out contained in the cockpit, and I feel he’s impressed inside the cockpit, however out of the cockpit as effectively, the best way he has performed himself and labored with the engineers and all of the technical workers, has been phenomenal.”
Horner mentioned Verstappen was capable of distance himself from the controversy surrounding his personal group management at the beginning of the season to ship a title in a way that provides to the 27-year-old’s rising legacy.
“This one is a really particular victory as a result of clearly there was challenges this yr,” Horner mentioned. “However I feel that Max, he has scored greater than double the quantity of race wins than another driver, he has received it with two races to go and he has been head and shoulders the most effective driver on the grid in Method 1.
“What he’s actually carried out this yr is totally cement his place amongst the greats within the sport. Each statistically and the best way he has pushed, that’s unquestionable now.
“Adversity will at all times impress a group, and that’s actually what has occurred with this group. Usually there’s noise or hypothesis, and all of that’s been ignored, and most of all by Max. He hasn’t been distracted. He’s simply obtained in and obtained on with the job.
“There’s clearly areas that we have to enhance for subsequent yr, and the group’s very centered, very arduous on that, and the way we construct on this fourth consecutive championship.”
