Horner understands 'clown' remark Verstappen: 'Does not crave extolment'

"What you’ve got to understand is that Max is a racing driver. He hates all the pomp and b******* that goes with being a four-wheel drive. He just wants to drive the car," Horner stated to Sky Sports. "He doesn't crave fame or adulation or anything like that. And I think that he's just a bit uncomfortable with, if you like, the showbiz element that's introduced to this race."

Verstappen felt like a "clown" during a show what Formula 1 had devised. For example, the drivers were lifted up to a podium to have to wave to the fans. "In my opinion, you could skip all that. It's just standing there. You look like a clown,'' he said.

Verstappen goes up for his eighteenth win of the season in Las Vegas this weekend. He already holds the record for most wins in a year ever but will be looking to strengthen it further in the United States and next week in Abu Dhabi.