Verstappen compared with Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton: "Under scrutiny"

Christian Horner has stated that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are not exactly planning to sit down to Christmas dinner together. The Red Bull team boss was asked about the relationship between the two drivers in an interview with TalkSPORT, and he explained the dynamics between the reigning world champion and the seven-time world champion, while also making note of a particularly feisty quality of Verstappen's.

"They're two very different people. I mean, they are different personalities, different characters," the Red Bull Chief started, before shedding a bit more light on the relationship between the to world champions. "I think there's a respect and that's the most important thing. Are they the type of people that would spend Christmas together? Probably not. Max has other friendships in Formula 1."

"Lando Norris is a good pal of his. They've travelled to many races. But inevitably, that gets put under pressure when you're competing. You know, is Tyson Fury going to be mates with his opponent this weekend? Maybe after the fight, yeah, but certainly not in the build-up to it," Horner elaborated.

Horner compares Verstappen to relentless terrier

Later on, the Briton also sahred a trait that makes Verstappen a tough operator, comparing him to some of the all time greats like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and even Hamilton himself. "Max is a tough operator and he knows what the rules are. And he'll race hard on all the greats, whether it was Senna or Schumacher, Hamilton," Horner continued.

"They've all been under that scrutiny in their careers. And Max has got this aura about him that he's a tough, tough operator and he'll never, ever give up. He's like a terrier on your ankle. He just will never give up. And if you're going to pass him, you're going to have to work very, very hard for it," Horner concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Estéban den Toom

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