Horner amazed by 'insane' and 'truly impressive' Verstappen after taking pole as a brand-new father

13:03, 04 May

Updated: 14:03, 04 May

byOlly Darcy

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has spoken out in amazement at Max Verstappen, saying it was "truly impressive" to see him take pole at the Miami Grand Prix just days after becoming a father.

The Dutchman was not present on Thursday's media day in Florida due to girlfriend Kelly Piquet giving birth to a baby girl, making Verstappen a father.

On Friday, the news was officially announced that Lily Verstappen-Piquet was born, with Verstappen returning to the paddock on Friday for practice and sprint qualifying.

Then, just a day later, he showed his class and pace once again to put his RB21 onto pole position in qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix, his third P1 of the season.

Verstappen's sprint race was hampered by an unsafe release that dropped him out of the points, but a stunning P1 gives him the chance of a second win in 2025

Horner impressed by "insane" Verstappen

It was a lap and perfoemance that even Horer did not see coming, stunned at what the 27-year-old did once again.

"Well, I think like any great sportsman, man or woman, it's those big pressure moments," the team boss started by saying to Sky Sports.

"It's that last set of tyres when the pressure is at its most extreme that time and again he has delivered. And that's his third pole in six races now, and against expectation, McLaren looked like they had us covered in Q2, but it's about going and doing the lap, and Max is a master at that.

"I think it's his ability to really deliver under pressure and having to dig deep because probably on balance, we probably are a tenth or two down on the McLaren, around here, track position is so important, nailing that lap.

"As I say, when you get to Q3, that's where the pressure is. He just steps up to the plate and has done it again, which Japan, less than a tenth, Saudi, a hundredth, here, six hundredths. I mean, it's insane the margins that we're dealing with," continued Horner.

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The Brit also had a bit to say on the fact that Verstappen is now a father.

"You can see, he's walking a step higher, and becoming a father and welcoming a beautiful little girl into the world, that's a massive thing for him. But, as we see time and time again, when he crosses that line into the garage and puts his crash helmet on, everything disappears; his ability to focus and just deliver is insane. It's really, truly impressive," concluded Horner.

This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden