Horner sees Verstappen name as one of F1's all-time greats
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Max Verstappen has put in a great Formula 1 season in 2023. There is still one race to go, but even without a great result in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen's season will go down in the history books. Christian Horner sees the Dutchman as one of the best Formula 1 drivers ever after his strong 2023 season.
Incredible season for Verstappen
After the first four races of 2023, the championship battle seemed to be between Sergio Perez and Verstappen, but the Dutchman soon put an end to that. Verstappen won in no fewer than 16 of the 17 subsequent races, distancing himself from teammate Perez. In the end, Verstappen only failed to win the Singapore Grand Prix, but even without the win in the city-state, a lot of records were broken.
During the final weekend of 2023, Horner looked back on his driver's season. "Max has just been incredible this year. I don't think any of us thought after 2022 that we'd managed to better that. But here he is on 18 victories in a single season, which has broken all records. It smashed the records. I think just as a driver, the way he's grown, he's just constantly evolving. "
Verstappen is still getting better
So, according to Horner, Verstappen is definitely not at the top of his game yet. "His capacity within the car just gets greater and greater. To read a race, to be able to look after tyres, to know when the key moments are to absolutely deliver. And, time and time again, he's done that, and the way he works with the team is superb," the Red Bull Racing team boss continued.
What also stands out is that even after winning the championship, Verstappen is still very driven to keep winning. Something that has not always been the case in Formula 1. "You can see that since winning the championship back in Qatar, he's not lifted off at all. He's absolutely pushing all the way to this chequered flag in Abu Dhabi."
Horner: Verstappen one of the best ever
Horner believes that, after his record-breaking season, Verstappen has earned a place among the all-time greats ever in Formula 1. "With the records that he's now achieved, now becoming the third most winning driver in Formula One, a three-time world champion, with the statistics of most wins in a season and everything that he's done, you have to start to talk about him amongst some of the greatest names in the sport. I think he's earned his position there. What's phenomenal is that he's done it at 26 years of age. He's got a lot of racing still ahead of him," concluded the Briton.