Max Verstappen, Christian Horner And The Question Of Longevity

Max Verstappen’s super successful in the top flight of motor-racing. But behind his success, stands a marvellous team principal, Christian Horner who has given it everything to ensure that the man behind the numero uno symbol in F1 gets to flex his weight over the remainder of the grid.

Verstappen has a great car with unmatched reliability and add to that, an excellent Red Bull strategy department that seems to make more right calls than wrong ones. All of which must make his stay in F1 a long and successful one, don’t you think?

So what does Christian Horner make of Max in comparison to some legends?

The following is what Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had to say about the 2023 World Champion when asked about if the famed Dutchman can reach the heights to which Sir Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso belong:

“Who knows? I mean at 26, obviously he’s still got quite a few years left in him. But he’ll go as long as he wants to and his motivation is there. I think he’s very strong in his own mind.”

Surely, it does seem that Max Verstappen- mad Max to some while a true champion to many others- is not driving to prove a point to anyone.

The blue-eyed boy of Christian Horner is driving for his own passion and to his heart’s contentment. For someone who had won, perhaps to many’s chagrin, his maiden world title in 2021, though for little fault of his own in that controversy, Max Verstappen has clinched yet another title this recent season.

This being his third.

For someone who had more critics two years back in the day, has as many admirers today; fans and critics who have joined hands in tandem to appreciate a talent that is unlikely to be ever matched for his sheer grit and intensity.

No other driver in the seven decade history of the sport had won ten back to back wins in the highest echelons of Motor Racing. That Max Verstappen did that with flair and class in 2023 must serve a reminder to his critics about not taking him any lightly.

Given the way Max Verstappen first stood tall to counter Hamilton’s charge back in the 2021 season and then, prevented the seven-time world champion from winning any race whatsoever in 2023 is a primer on things Verstappen can do. He has, truth be told, truly annihilated the rest of the grid that stood in his path from glory.

The very fact that one of Christian Horner’s favourite drivers of all time, the force at Red Bull called Max Verstappen is so successful at such a young age goes to say a thing or two about how far could he possibly travel in drawling level with Lewis Hamilton, if

“I don’t think he’ll be driving when he’s 42 in F1. But that’s 18 years away or 16 years away from where he is now. At one point, you’ll start to wonder when you can stop pushing yourself to the limits to get the best results.”

That being told, if you think of it, that Verstappen is still a decade and a half from entering the forties and has already won three world titles is, in itself, a huge feat. It’s mind-boggling and something to simply marvel at.

Is it not? Surely, Christian Horner would think of it like that. What do you reckon?