Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Max Verstappen is leading the development of the RB15 car in 2019.
Verstappen was joined at Red Bull by Pierre Gasly however the Frenchman has not been on pace with his teammate since joining.
The Dutchman has scored two podium finishes already and sits fourth in the driver standings, splitting the two Ferrari drivers of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.
With Daniel Ricciardo leaving Red Bull for Renault, Verstappen now finds himself as the number one driver at the team, and it is a role he has taken to comfortably according to Horner.
“I think really, if you wind the clock back 12 months, Monaco was probably the lowest weekend, last year, of his career, having a car capable of winning and crashing in FP3 and not being able to take part in qualifying,” he explained to RACER.
“That was very tough for him and I think he went away from that race and he reflected hard on it. Since Montreal last year he’s really just stepped things up a gear and he’s been a phenomenal force whenever he’s been in the car. The way he started this season has been outstanding.
"He’s overachieved in certain aspects and I think he’s got that roundedness of maturity and is very much leading the team development-wise.
“I think he’s enjoying and relishing that role as well, so if you compare Max to the equivalent time last year, he’s evolved a tremendous amount and I think that’s again the benefit of experience as well.”
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