This is what makes Verstappen so good according to Horner

Max Verstappen seems to become a better driver every year with his performance in Formula 1. According to Christian Horner, he is. In the ESPN podcast F1 Unlapped the Red Bull Racing team boss tries to put into words why Verstappen manages to stand out so much from all other Formula 1 drivers.

"He's operating at an insanely high level and with the benefit of experience now", Horner argues. "I mean, he's always had more speed and great natural talent, but the capacity he has in the car to be following the race, to be thinking about aspects that are way beyond, you know, the normal sphere is hugely, hugely impressive and I think that you know, he's just taken another step again this year."

Working with Verstappen a privilege

The 49-year-old Briton is rubbing his hands with Verstappen in his team. "The last couple of years, he's been out of this world and I think, you know, you've got to start to consider Max now as one of the all-time greats. I mean, it's, and particularly at 25 years of age, what he's done in the space of time he's done it, you know, he's just massively, massively impressive and I think it's a privilege to work with him and see, you know, this driver that's just going to achieve these unbelievable things and some of the things he does that just take us by surprise on a continual basis, whether it's in mixed conditions, wet conditions, dry conditions. His ability to extract the maximum from the car is unparalleled."

So what makes Verstappen so good? "I think he's just got this feel for the car, for the limited grip, he's got such a confidence in himself and his own ability, that his ability to get there so quickly, you look at his lap, so the first time in terms of Formula 3 or a new circuit, you know, his lap at times will just, his first lap of the day will often be two to three seconds quicker than anybody else and, you know, you see a little bit of rain at Spa at the weekend, boom, suddenly that gap goes like that," Horner is referring to the eight-tenner gap in qualifying. "He has tremendous natural feel and the ability to understand what the car needs from his input to get the most out of it and it's fascinating to see."

Toughest track is for Perez

Sergio Perez has his hands full with Verstappen as a teammate, but so has it been with all the Dutchman's other former teammates in the past. "I mean, that's probably the toughest job in Formula 1, is to be Max Verstappen's teammate because the level that he's operating at, I don't think there's a driver in Formula 1 that, you know, would be able to take him on in his car and I think that, you know, that's a tough gig for anybody who's got to be mentally very, very resilient to, you know, to deal and cope with that."