race winner Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium with Christian Horner (GBR) Red Bull Racing Team Principal. 24.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Race Day.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has explained the difficulty of being Max Verstappen’s team-mate in Formula 1, adding not every driver would be up for that challenge.
Verstappen is on the verge of winning his third consecutive Drivers’ title having won 13 of the 16 races to be held this season – including a record-breaking 10 in a row.
However, team-mate Sergio Perez has been unable to maximise the dominance of Red Bull’s RB19 car, only finishing runner-up to Verstappen on five occasions this year.
Speculation surrounding Perez’s position beyond 2025 has been rife, with Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko admitting McLaren’s Lando Norris would be an enticing option due to his “youth and speed”.
Norris has previously declared he turned down approaches from Red Bull before renewing with McLaren, whom he has a contract with through to the end of 2025.
But the Briton did recently mention that he and Verstappen had discussed the prospect of partnering each other in the same team, prompting Horner to be asked about the possibility of Norris coming to Red Bull.
“Lando is a great driver. I mean, he’s a big talent, big personality, and of course, he’s one of those drivers that you keep an eye on,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.
“But there’s many drivers that you keep an eye on as well. There’s a generation of drivers out there at the moment that have got a huge amount of talent.
“Now being Max’s team-mate is never going to be easy, and some drivers may be up for that challenge, some may not be.
“As well as the drivers we have in-house, we keep an eye on all of the driver market. And as you can imagine, there’s quite a bit of interest from certain sectors of driving a Red Bull car.
“Max is operating at such a level of his confidence, his commitment, his talent, it’s difficult to envisage somebody beating him in the same equipment.”
(L to R): Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren and Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing in the post race FIA Press Conference. 24.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Race Day.
Earlier this season, ex-F1 driver and current pundit Karun Chandhok suggested that Red Bull’s divisive status within the UK derived partially from it not fielding a British driver.
Horner, however, declares nationality has never been considered when it has come to the team selecting its driver line-up.
“We didn’t think about it that much,” he retorted when that view was put to him. “I mean, we don’t have a British driver.
“We’re an Austrian-owned Formula 1 team but we’re very much a British-based team. I mean, 95% of our workforce is UK-based or UK residents.
“I think that has been a tremendously successful story for the UK, Formula 1 in general, and here in Milton Keynes. We’re probably one of the biggest assets. It was just phenomenal.”
Keyword: Horner: Some drivers not up to the challenge of partnering Verstappen