Purple Bull Method 1 staff principal Christian Horner has revealed Max Verstappen was “extra delicate” to the criticism of his aggressive driving than he let on in public.
In Las Vegas Verstappen clinched his fourth straight title with two rounds remaining, having been the standout driver in 2024 driving a Purple Bull that started dominant however wasn’t the quickest automotive for a big a part of the season.
Verstappen got here below strain from closest challenger Lando Norris, with the pair preventing a collection of intense wheel-to-wheel battles.
They tangled in Austria, which terminally broken Norris’ McLaren and landed Verstappen a 10-second penalty earlier than the Dutchman caught flak for varied aggressive strikes in opposition to the Briton in Austin and Mexico.
Verstappen appeared to brush off any criticism from media, followers and his friends on the time, however in response to his staff boss he was extra affected than it appeared.
“He is extra delicate than you suppose,” Horner mentioned. “Inevitably he is conscious of the criticism and a few of it, I feel, may be very unfounded.
Race winner Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing, Christian Horner, Workforce Principal, Purple Bull Racing
Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
“He is a driver that drives aggressively; he is an attacking driver. However so was [Ayrton] Senna, so was [Michael] Schumacher, so was [Lewis] Hamilton, they usually all got here below the identical form of highlight at varied occasions of their careers.”
Verstappen and Purple Bull dragged themselves by a tough second half of the marketing campaign, wherein the hunter grew to become the hunted and Verstappen and his staff dug deep to develop their means out of the RB20’s crippling dealing with issues throughout a 10-race winless spell.
Together with the criticism he handled, that all-out effort to carry off Norris and McLaren goes a way in direction of explaining Verstappen’s emotional launch on the chequered flag in Vegas.
“It actually means an enormous quantity to him,” Horner added. “He isn’t a man that fame sits comfortably with. He does not [crave] adulation. He simply loves driving quick automobiles.
“Behind the scenes, he was placing an enormous quantity of effort in with the engineers and designers and on the simulator, and greater than in any of the earlier years.
“The best way he is performed himself, the way in which he is labored with the engineers and all of the technical workers has been phenomenal.
“He is been head and shoulders the very best driver on the grid in Method 1. And what he is actually accomplished this 12 months has completely cemented his place amongst the greats within the sport.”
Watch: Max at McLaren vs Lando at Purple Bull – Who Wins the 2024 Title? and Extra – F1 Q&A
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