Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has likened Max Verstappen to a “metronome” and believes his ongoing success in Formula 1 deserves greater appreciation.
Verstappen continued his march towards a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship as he cruised to his fourth win from the opening five races this season in China.
The Dutchman, who also prevailed in the first Sprint of 2024, has been flawless over one lap and the sole blemish on his record was a technical retirement in Australia.
Verstappen now has a 25-point advantage over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez at the head of the standings, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc a further nine points back.
Regarding Verstappen’s imperious form with the RB20, Horner said: “He’s just a metronome. Again, the pace that he showed last year, he’s just continued that through.
“I think since the last Chinese Grand Prix, he’s won 50% of all the races. He’s won 21 out of the last 23 races.
“He’s in fantastic form. He’s one with the car and one with the team, and enjoying his racing.”
Ferrari’s competitive showing in Australia and subsequent 1-2 finish heightened hopes that the Italian marque could provide a genuine challenge to Red Bull in 2024.
However, the Austrian outfit’s upgraded RB20 car dominated at Suzuka and Verstappen was unopposed in Shanghai to open up a 13.7-second gap in 24 racing laps.
But Horner has rubbished growing claims that Verstappen’s dominance is making the spectacle boring and highlighted that periods at the top in F1 don’t last forever.
“I think you have to appreciate success,” Horner asserted. “Max is a special talent. It’s a golden moment for him.
“As we’ve seen with every single driver, it doesn’t last forever. I think it’s enjoying the moment, being in the moment.
“There’s no guarantees that we’ll be able to give him a car like this every year for the next five years. So it’s doing what you can, while you can.”
