This was the action that earned Verstappen promotion to Red Bull

Verstappen has been driving in Formula 1 for eight seasons and his entire F1 career has been with the Red Bull family. The first 'season and a half' he drove was with sister team Toro Rosso, but as early as the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, the Dutchman was allowed to try out for Red Bull. The then-18-year-old Verstappen replaced Daniil Kvyat and became Daniel Ricciardo's teammate. During that race, the two Mercedes drivers crashed, giving Verstappen the lead in the race. The Red Bull debutant then kept the hard-hitting Kimi Raikkonen behind throughout the race.

Horner looks back on working with Verstappen

Now that Verstappen has two world titles under his belt and helped the team break Mercedes' dominance with the 2022 constructors' title, Horner looks back on the past eight years. Speaking to The Guardian the Brit says Verstappen is frighteningly competitive, but also a "genuinely nice guy. Max is the same guy he was six years ago. I don't think he's ever going to change. He is at ease with himself. He's fundamentally just a racer."

Verstappen's career was moving at a rapid pace. The Dutchman became the youngest ever F1 driver and, with his debut at Red Bull, also the youngest ever race winner. Since then, Verstappen set record after record. Horner recalls the exact moment when he thought Verstappen deserved the promotion to Red Bull: "What stood out was Spa, when he drove round the outside of Felipe Nasr. I thought: ‘This boy is properly brave, committed and quick.’ You saw it that season, he was a shining star. It was evident immediately he was a prodigious talent."