Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described Max Verstappen as “invaluable” to the team after his victory last weekend brought him within touching distance of a fourth world championship title.
Verstappen climbed 14 places to win at a soaked Interlagos. It was his first victory in a grand prix since June, during which time Red Bull have found themselves increasingly under pressure from rivals McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.As a result the team has fallen to third place in the constructors’ championship. Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez hasn’t finished in the top five over the last 15 rounds. Horner said he couldn’t put a price on Verstappen’s value to the team.
“Max is invaluable,” he told Sky. “It’s impossible to put a number on. That was a champion’s drive, and there’s some great drivers out there, as we all know, but to stand out and shine like that today – that marks him out, I think, with some of the greats now.
“The way he’s driven, even when we had a difficult car this year, he’s never given up. He’s gone about collecting the points and he’s always trying to get the maximum out of the car.
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season. However the loss of several top names from the team’s technical division, including star designer Adrian Newey, as well as the team’s impending move away from Honda’s power units, has prompted speculation he could seek an earlier exit. Mercedes is known to have courted him for 2025 before settling on Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
Horner has no doubt Verstappen is the benchmark for modern racing drivers. “In the wet and in the dry, he’s the best in the world at the moment,” he said.
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2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
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- Verstappen now has as many wins as F1’s first six world champions combined
David
5th November 2024, 8:55
When you repeatedly see Perez struggling around at the back of the field while Max is fighting for podiums and wins you have to wonder how bad that car has actually become. 3rd in the constructors with Max, surely that would be 4th or worse with anyone else? Of course he is invaluable.
Yannetta
5th November 2024, 9:05
“I am not here to be second” Whatever it takes… “We won the election but lost the Party” was a famous quote when Mexican right wing party, PAN, won the Mexican election in 2006 with a scandalous fraud. Guess the same can be applied to RB: “Won the championship but lost the team” Never had I seen a team handcuffing its second driver on behalf of the first. Max belongs to the elite, yes, but just how good would he have performed had he had a partner with the same car…
José Lopes da Silva
5th November 2024, 9:17
How do you evaluate the Eddie Irvine 1996-1999 years at Ferrari?
Why do you think Red Bull “handcuffed” Perez?
Can you bring a reason?
notagrumpyfan
5th November 2024, 9:32
Exactly the same as now, and besides some minor update timing changes don’t hold your breath for a better outcome for Perez either if he had Verstappen’s car.
I don’t think that the car was that bad as the OP suggests (4th in the championship); Perez is simply not performing this year (often struggling to qualify/stay ahead of the VCARBs).
baasbas
5th November 2024, 9:40
@Yannetta
The same car… Sure if there are updated parts and you only have one of them, it seems obvious to mount them to the car in front. But those are all just small changes. He has therefore a different floor edge. You could reasonable expect him to be at least somewhat closer to Verstappen.
You know RBR reverted Perez’ car to an earlier spec chassis because he requested to do so?
Why do you insist “there is an evil RBR team hampering its second driver” while it makes no sense?
You think they liked dropping to 3rd in the constructors?
Let Perez be fast enough to be in Verstappens way for RBR to order him to let Verstappen past.. like McLaren. And then come back to complain. For now, go and take your conspiracy theories with you
James Bond (@jamesbond)
5th November 2024, 10:19
+1
Mayrton
5th November 2024, 11:18
+1
Kata
6th November 2024, 1:12
That’s an opinion wich makes 100% sense, not like the conspiracy theories that some guys make up for whatever reason wich makes no sense at all.
Lewish
6th November 2024, 8:18
what do you know about it, haven’t you seen the interview with Alex Albon? That says everything…
José Lopes da Silva
6th November 2024, 15:59
The thing with these theories is that they always lack a reason.
Every conspiracy theory includes a reason, no matter how outlandish. And, after all, there a tiny percentage that is found out to be true. I could believe Piquet crashed on purpose because there was a reason: to dramatically increase Alonso’s winning chances.
In Verstappen’s case, there is never a reason. Red Bull favors him because the sky is blue.
If real, there could a be a reason: it’s because he is way better than his team mates. Alas, that reason doesn’t fit the theorist narrative.
Jungle
5th November 2024, 10:33
Funnily enough and this by no means is throwing any shade on this performance I thought his 2016 Brazilian GP race was better and he didn’t even win! I was absolutely gobsmacked. Remember Jos being interviewed afterwards saying something like “I have never seen anything like that in a race before”, and I was thinking yeah me either.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th November 2024, 1:36
You need to consider about 2016 that he was the 2nd fastest driver on track after hamilton, he had already passed rosberg, he only ended up so far back because of trying the intermediates, which weren’t right for the conditions, so he ended up fighting with much slower cars\drivers in the last few laps, so ofc he passed a lot.
He’s always been good and aggressive at overtaking anyway.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
5th November 2024, 11:08
No doubt. And those who doubt it, just look at PER in 2024, then remember that Gasly and Albon were also teamed up with VER but their performances were very poor too.
Mayrton
5th November 2024, 11:20
Some will argue it is all scripted and due to the car.. cue them in 3..2..1..
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th November 2024, 1:38
Strange thing is that perez was decent in 2021, almost bottas-like, then people said “He will improve his 2nd year at red bull”, oh, really? I don’t think he got better, he got far worse.
How was he able to drive the car in his first year, then not any more generally?
Mayrton
6th November 2024, 16:37
I would say the earlier car was a more balanced car, easier to control. The the generation after became a more difficult one to drive, hence the skills of the driver makes more difference in the overall performance of the package.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th November 2024, 1:39
Albon also wasn’t that bad in 2019, he was bad in 2020!
Johns
5th November 2024, 11:25
PER performance is all about 2026. The team needs the wind tunnel time that comes with being lower down the order in the constructors fight to design the 2026 car. Sometimes it is good to be last.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th November 2024, 1:39
If that’s the goal you can just field 1 car, saves money too.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
5th November 2024, 14:07
What about Ocon and Gasly to alpine.
Ajaxn
5th November 2024, 18:55
Didn’t Verstappen have a brand-new engine for this race, then the rest of the field including his team mate had used engines?
japioooo
5th November 2024, 20:26
If it was a dry race that could have made a difference. But in a wet race engine performance isn’t a factor.
In Las Vegas the difference could be noticeable.
baasbas
5th November 2024, 23:14
@AjaxnCancel
Didn’t the 2 cars with the worst engine just finish 2nd and 3rd while all the other cars had better engines?
Oxnard (@montalvo)
6th November 2024, 0:09
I’d say every weekend from Imola and onward shows why Verstappen is invaluable. McLaren looked to have the better car since the Emilia Romagna GP. At first the gap wasn’t that big and Verstappen could give McLaren a run for their money, but soon the flaws of the RB20 would start to show. However, since this downfall of the RB20 Max has outscored Norris (and Piastri). And it also has to be noted he received 2 PU grid penalties, while Norris did not.
McLaren maybe had the car (since Imola) Max had in 2022 (since Bahrain). And where Leclerc (2022) started making mistakes and eventually losing way too many points, Verstappen (2024) clinched on with everything he had.
That’s the difference of guys that can win a title if they have a car that is like the 2023 Red Bull, and generational champions like Verstappen. He’s just always there and maximises the performance. Even if that means taking a 20 second penalty. I believe if he had not done that, Lando would have won the race and would have gained 13 points instead of 10.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th November 2024, 1:42
And a 20 sec penalty was probably more than expected, could’ve been less, but probably still not enough to catch the mercedes.
baasbas
6th November 2024, 15:23
@montalvo
Yes, there was an interview about the 20 second penalties and Gasly responded just like that. He said that whatever he did, it won him 3 points.