Horner sees Verstappen work hard: 'That was the most difficult'

In 2021, Verstappen also had to fight very hard for his world title with Lewis Hamilton. In 2022 and 2023, Red Bull had the fastest car and the Dutchman dominantly won both titles. This season, the Austrian racing team didn't have the fastest car.

Horner praises Verstappen

Verstappen had to work hard for the fourth title. Horner is very proud of Verstappen. "It’s been on a rollercoaster of a year and Max has been truly outstanding," the team boss said at Sky Sports. "At the beginning we had a flying start. We had a very difficult summer, but he kept getting results and he has won eight Grands Prix. That's more than double all the other drivers."

"We got off to a flying start, we had a very difficult summer, but he just kept nailing the results. He's won 8 Grand Prix. That’s more than double any other driver and he's just been outstanding this year. I think this has been his best and hardest championship and he's shown maturity, he's delivered on the days when the car wasn't quite there. And there's no one more deserving of this championship than Max," Horner said.

The difficult season makes this title feel extra special. "Look, this one's been a hard one. And I think all the men and women behind the scenes in Milton Keynes who have put in tireless hours during the weeks, late nights, weekends, early starts, and it's been tough. The others have pushed us really hard this year and it's been by far our hardest challenge this year," Horner said.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton