Red Bull boss Christian Horner commented on Max Verstappen's more mature attitude this season after his triumph last year and appreciated the work done by the Dutchman at the Canadian GP
Max Verstappen is quietly leading Formula 1 after nine races in 2022. The Dutchman suffered from reliability problems at the start of the season, but has had a flawless year so far, without having made any major mistakes. For Red Bull, his performance this year reflects a greater maturity gained after his dramatically won title last season.
"He did a phenomenal job last year. Remembering now, he raced under immense pressure. I think Austin stands out to me at the end of the season. But now, the races this year have been great, and the cars are able to go closer together. We saw that in the first eight or nine races so far. So yes, he has definitely grown from the experience of last year, and you can see that after winning the Drivers' World Championship he is driving in an even more mature way," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner in an interview with the F1 Nation podcast.
In the current season, Max has already won six times in nine races. His last victory came at the Canadian GP. After dominating free practice and qualifying, the Dutchman held off pressure from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in the final laps to climb to the top of the podium for the first time in his career in Montreal.
"He was incredible this weekend. I think from the first lap in the first free practice, he led almost every session of the weekend. The race was not simple for us, because the virtual safety-cars came at the worst times for him, but he made everything work even under pressure," Horner eloigured.
"The important thing was that we gave him track position for the last part of the race and then he held a very, very big pressure after the last virtual safety-car with a very fast Ferrari behind him," concluded the Red Bull boss.
Verstappen has 175 points at the top of the Drivers' World Championship, with a 46-point lead over Sergio Pérez, his Red Bull teammate. Formula 1 returns next Sunday (3), for the British GP at Silverstone.