Horner explains why Verstappen's teammates struggle so much

Max Verstappen has become one of the best Formula 1 drivers of all time. Being his teammate is therefore not easy: Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon experienced it before, and even Sergio Perez cannot match the Dutchman.

Verstappen was 18 years old when he joined Red Bull. Over the years, he has grown enormously as a driver and as a person, Christian Horner agrees. Speaking to Motorsport.com, the Red Bull team boss says that while you could see early on that the ingredients were there, the way Verstappen has grown is outstanding.

Perez was linked with an exit from the Austrian team. The Mexican still expressed at the start of the 2023 season that he wanted to compete with Verstappen for the title, but it soon became clear that was not in the cards. Horner knows why: "Because he [Verstappen] is so damn good, that's the problem."

"We felt that Sergio [Perez] had something with his experience. I have known Sergio for a long time and pushed very hard to bring him to the team because of the experience he brought with him. He has won four races for us, and played a crucial role in the 2021 championship, so he justified bringing him in."