As the appointment with the Abu Dhabi GP approaches, at home Red Bull The expectation is growing for the final act of the 2021 world championship, decisive for the assignment of the drivers and constructors’ titles. While in the latter classification the Austrian house is 28 points behind Mercedes, the speech is completely different as regards the challenge between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, with both drivers starting from the starting grid of Yas Marina exactly on equal points. A condition generated also and above all by the outcome of the last race in Saudi Arabia, marked by the umpteenth contact between the two drivers. The Red Bull team principal spoke about this and much more Christian Horner, who, in an interview with Times, analyzed the episode of Jeddah: “It’s frustrating – commented the British manager – and I fear there has been some confusion: some incidents have been punished, others not. Max tends to suffer the heaviest verdict, as seen in the last weekend. In the contact between him and Lewis, I think it was an unprecedented circumstance in which Verstappen clearly slowed down, downshifting and reaching a slower speed than what we face at the last corner. But despite this, Lewis didn’t want to get over it, so that he wasn’t the first to cross the DRS line. He tried in every possible way to avoid finishing in front of Max, who had been warned to leave his position by the stewards and the Race Direction, and before that by the team. There was actually a singular episode between the two, where, for the first time, Lewis didn’t want to overtake Max. However – he added – one of the most impressive moments, for me, was when we arrived in Jeddah, on a circuit never before faced by anyone: Max got on the track and trimmed 2 and a half seconds at all. The others took half an hour to reach his time ”.
Speaking of the talent of his driver, fighting to win his first world title in his career, Horner remarked on the different qualities of the Dutchman, also making a direct comparison with his main rival: “Mercedes has a higher number of men in marketing and communications than our team of mechanics – he has declared – it would be our greatest achievement if we could defeat them. The results achieved by Lewis cannot be denied or supported. Statistically speaking, he is the most successful driver in F1 history. Yet, if we put Max at the wheel of a Mercedes, I would have no doubts who would get the better of the two, and the same would be true if Lewis arrives at Red Bull. With Max, everything is possible: we did not expect to be competitive in Jeddah, and it was all thanks to him. No recognition will ever be enough for what he has managed to do with his driving style. We have very rarely seen minimal differences between Hamilton and Bottas, as well as in the past between Hamilton and Rosberg. Max, on the other hand, has been consistent with performance throughout the season. When Mercedes picked up speed in the summer, he only managed to keep the championship in question thanks to his talent. It was just amazing. Often overlooked is what he managed to do with a machine less powerful than that of its rival. He has an incredible ability to push to the limit with less difficulty than other riders. He is able to express himself to the maximum without particular stress, remaining vigilant about what happens during the race, as well as keeping under control the data of his car and the gaps from direct competitors. It is a skill that Lewis also has, but what surprises me is another aspect: growing up I saw few other drivers racing with heart, as Nigel Mansell did, for example, and Verstappen is one of them. It really gives it all. Also, he doesn’t have superstar demeanor; when a session ends, for example, he goes to play FIFA against his friends. Money certainly has an importance in his life but, on the whole, it has not betrayed his values ”.
Finally Horner drew a pparallelism between Max and Sebastian Vettel – four times world champion with Red Bull. Sebastian is referred to as “a fantastic driver”From the British team principal, but Verstappen “He is the best driver we have seen. I have no doubt that it is the best we have had in the car, in terms of skill and absolute dedication ”.
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