Red Bull boss Christian Horner has revealed the team’s decline in the 2024 Formula 1 season taught eventual title winner Max Verstappen to “look at the bigger picture”.
Verstappen etched his name into the F1 record books in the previous campaign as he notched his fourth successive Drivers’ Championship with two rounds remaining.
The Dutchman’s latest title success has been regarded as his best to date amid the acknowledgement that he prevailed without having the quickest package at his disposal.
Red Bull dominated the opening exchanges as Verstappen logged four victories in five races, but a loss to Lando Norris in Miami proved to be a turning point in the season.
McLaren’s surge, coupled with Red Bull’s worsening balance issues, saw the tide turn as the Woking-based squad’s upgrades to the MCL38 saw it become the benchmark.
But while Red Bull surrendered the lead in the Constructors’ Championship to McLaren, Verstappen’s brilliance ensured he preserved his advantage over Norris behind.
The reigning F1 champion then produced a mesmerising showing in the wet in Brazil to triumph from 17th on the grid, ending a 10-race drought and all but securing the title.
Horner believes Red Bull’s woes with the RB20, which made victories harder to attain, had a positive impact on developing Verstappen into an even more well-rounded competitor.
“He would love to win every race, but, on the days he can’t win, he’s taking the maximum points,” Horner told RacingNews365.
“He is looking at the bigger picture now, and that just comes with experience. Max has got huge maturity but [the fourth title] means so much to him.
“It really means a huge amount to him.”
Verstappen ‘doesn’t court adulation’
Verstappen has reiterated on countless occasions that he doesn’t intend to remain in F1 long-term as he endeavours to have a crack at other racing disciplines at his peak.
But Horner has also admitted that his driver hasn’t appreciated the increased public attention that he has commanded since his rise to prominence as a global sporting icon.
“He is not a guy that fame sits comfortably with,” he added. “He doesn’t court adulation.
“He just loves driving fast cars and he’s a unique guy. He deserves all the plaudits that his driving has produced.”
Verstappen, whose current deal with Red Bull runs through 2028, expressed last year that his next career decision is guaranteed to be the final one that he takes in the sport.
“My next step, if there is one, will be my last,” Verstappen told Sky Italia. “That could also mean that I renew my existing contract. Everything is still possible at the moment.”
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