Christian Horner: ‘Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel are very different’

Christian Horner: ‘Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel are very different’

Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen may shared the stage together at Red Bull.

From 2010 to 2013, Sebastian Vettel reigned supreme on the Formula 1 grid. He was challenged in 2010 and 2012 by Fernando Alonso, but he was able to bring it home in the last race for both occasions, including a very dramatic finale in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. At the end of a victory-less 2014 season, the German left for Ferrari.

He was replaced by Daniil Kyvat at Red Bull. The season that Vettel started his Ferrari career, a 17-year-old Max Verstappen made his race debut, partnering Carlos Sainz. The Dutchman comfortably beat his teammate, and in 2016, he was fast-tracked into a senior seat at Red Bull, beginning with the Spanish Grand Prix. He won that after the Mercedes duo took each other out, ahead of the Ferraris.

It was not until 2021 that Red Bull really delivered a championship-contending car. While they missed out on the constructors’ title last season, Max Verstappen won the Drivers’ Championship in a thrilling finale. This year, he looks strong again, perhaps poised to win the title. These two are the eminent stars of Red Bull, but according to Christian Horner, they have very different thought processes.

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Christian Horner: “Max Verstappen just wants to win.”

Christian Horner
Christian Horner thinks that Max Verstappen is ‘very driven’

In a recent visit to Cambridge Union, Christian Horner talked about a variety of topics, such as the 2021 season finale, Drive to Survive, etc. On being asked how different Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen were, Horner said that the two were indeed, very different.

For example, he said that Sebastian Vettel was very analytical, and had extremely precise working methods: “In his debriefs it would take him half an hour just to explain the formation lap let alone the race.”

In comparison, Horner said that Max Verstappen is much more simplistic in his approach to driving, with his goal just being ‘to win’, but that is not necessarily a bad thing: “Max is much more simplistic, he just has this very raw talent and he’s the hungriest driver I’ve ever come across. He just wants to win.”

Horner also highlighted how Verstappen is always very direct in his feedback. Indeed, the Dutchman does not hold back, even if it may seem ‘blunt’ at times, ultimately, it works well for the team: “It’s like an old married couple at times, but you know every lap he’s going to give you 110 percent and he demands the same from the team.”

Till the summer break, as confirmed by Horner, Red Bull will only be bringing modest upgrades to the RB18, while Ferrari and Mercedes are said to be bringing good upgrade packages to Silverstone. The tantalizing prospect of a potential three-way fight between them will certainly sit well for fans of the sport.

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