Exclusive: ‘He is very much a mature package now’ – Christian Horner on ‘evolving’ Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen is a “mature package” whose “determination is undiminished”. Verstappen ended Mercedes’ run of championship success in Formula One’s turbo-hybrid era by winning his first title in 2021. Ad/> He is looking to defend his crown this season and carries a 63-point advantage over Charles Leclerc going into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix with 10 events remaining.

French Grand PrixLeclerc blasts 'unacceptable' error which cost him French Grand Prix24/07/2022 AT 17:09 “I think he's very much a mature package now,” Horner told Eurosport. “He's got experience behind him but he’s still very, very young. “He's hugely talented and is using his experience, using his head and his drive, his determination is undiminished.

So he’s just evolving still as a person and as a driver.” Verstappen became Red Bull’s second world champion last year, after Sebastian Vettel won four titles with the team between 2010 and 2013. /> Horner says it’s difficult to compare drivers. When pushed about any targets for Verstappen to beat Lewis Hamilton’s wins and pole positions records, he played things down.

“It’s very difficult to compare drivers,” said Horner. We've had some amazing drivers but he [Verstappen] is certainly right up. “The target is to keep building on what we’ve achieved.