Horner: Logical for your star player to have certain privileges

Max Verstappen regularly expresses himself quite vehemently over the board radio if something does not suit him, and he makes it clear. In the past, the Red Bull Racing driver sometimes ignored team orders, but for a long time he was not blamed. Verstappen performs and wins titles. In the podcast Secrets of Success, Christian Horner talks about Verstappen's status as a team leader and makes the comparison with Mercedes.

Horner sees a bit of the same situation at Mercedes as at Red Bull. "It’s inevitable in any sport I would have thought. I mean, Max came to us as a teenager, he’s now a world champion. I think the same with Lewis Hamilton. He’s now the most successful driver of all time. He will have more sway within his team than his team-mate because his value to the team is significantly greater."

Appreciation for team important

The 50-year-old Briton continued: “And I think that it’s a matter of keeping that in check. Of course, there will be certain privileges that are allowed to your centre forward, your star player, but he’s still part of a team, he still needs to, you know, there’s no room for a prima donna because, at that point, it becomes bigger than the team."

Horner explains that for Verstappen's performance, the team's performance is crucial, because without the resources Max can do very little. "So he can’t achieve what he wants to without having the team behind him, without having the tools. And that’s where it’s a matter of achieving that balance, being respectful of the status that they’ve achieved, but also still recognising you’re part of a team, you need all the other elements to deliver for you to be able to deliver your part.”

Verstappen has stated many times that he is incredibly demanding, but that the team should also expect the same from him at all times. The relationship is very good and that paid off in recent years with multiple world titles.