‘A mega talent’: Horner puts Max Verstappen among the greats of F1

Christian Horner hailed his driver Max Verstappen as one of the greats of Formula One, after the Dutchman matched Ayrton Senna’s tally of wins with victory for Red Bull at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen took the flag in Montreal with another dominant run from pole to secure his 41st career win, equalling Senna. He now has six wins from eight races this season and, with a 69-point lead over his teammate Sergio Pérez in the championship, is on course to seal his third title sooner rather than later. Horner believes those achievements have elevated his driver to stand among the very best the sport has produced.

“What we are witnessing with Max is the emergence of another mega talent,” the Red Bull team principal said. “You can start talking about him in the same sentence as the greats now after he matched Ayrton Senna.

“Max just keeps delivering at such a high level. The race was fantastic but to take pole position in conditions that were continually changing, his ability to adapt to whatever grip level he had, was Max at his best.”

Verstappen, who is only 25 despite being in his eighth season in Formula One, is now the fifth most successful F1 driver in terms of wins, behind Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton who heads the field with 103. Verstappen acknowledged the feat was “incredible” and Horner believed it was significant for the Dutchman.

“Part of him inside will be quite proud of that,” Horner said. “I don’t think he is one to show huge emotion. He is a very modest guy. He is very understated in many ways. But behind the scenes it will mean quite a lot to him.”

The win was also the 100th for Red Bull since the team’s debut in 2005. With their car the class of the field this