Horner praises Verstappen: "What he sometimes got out of the car is unprecedented"

Christian Horner, team leader at Red Bull, may have headaches about his second driver for next season, but he doesn't have to worry about his first man, Max Verstappen. In a conversation with De Telegraaf he takes stock after a strong season for both his team and Verstappen. 

In an interview with de Telegraaf, team boss Horner looks back on the season. He says he is very satisfied with the performance of Verstappen. When asked whether he thinks 2020 is the best season for Verstappen, he answers: "Absolutely. I think he drove fantastic. What he sometimes got out of the car is unprecedented. In spite of everything, he still managed to fight with Mercedes on a regular basis.”

Also in the disastrous races in Italy, all three of which Verstappen failed to finish, the Dutchman had a great chance of winning, according to Horner. He analyses: "Of the three Italian races he didn't finish, he could have won maybe two. On Imola the flat tyre was very unlucky and in Mugello he was fast all weekend. That actually also applied to Turkey and last week in Bahrain. Of course that is very frustrating, but that is independent of Max's performance. He has done a phenomenal job this year. The way he ends it, with a victory and pole position, is beautiful."

Second driver

Also, the interviewer cannot resist asking Horner about the decision regarding the future second driver on his team. Horner reacts very diplomatically to this, saying: "That decision will soon be made. It won't take that long, it will soon be Christmas. We are almost there."