'Relentless' Verstappen Makes Being His Teammate 'Hardest Job In Pit Lane'

Wednesday, 27 December 2023 at 12:00

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner suggested being a teammate of the triple World Champion Max Verstappen is the most challenging job in the pitlane.

The last time Max Verstappen got beaten by his own teammate in the Championship was in 2017, when Daniel Ricciardo used to race for Red Bull.

Even then, Verstappen beat Ricciardo next season in 2018 before he left and has no teammate ever since has been able to match the Dutchman's pace.

The team principal, who has seen the triple World Champion directly compared to all of his teammates, believes it might be the hardest job to sit alongside Verstappen. Christian Horner told the media:

"I think with the amount of established team-mates [he's had], it is probably the hardest job in the pit lane."

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In 2023, the 26-year-old beat his teammate Sergio Perez by a record margin of 290 points as he won an incredible 19 out of 22 races of the season.

"[Max] is operating at such a high level, and he is relentless, and so the mental aptitude that you need to be deal with that when every time you see a piece of data, it's like: 'Wow, how did he do that?'"

The Mexican driver was able to match Verstappen in the first four races of the season, but then, the Dutchman said he would not be beaten by Perez again... and he wasn't.

Every single F1 driver has to believe he has what it takes to win the Championship and that he is the best driver on the grid. But then, being beaten by the same teammate three seasons in a row must be challenging. Horner added:

"It takes a certain strength of character to be able to deal with that, and with the form that he's been in for the last three or four years, he's operating at such a high level, and it would be tough for any driver. With any sportsman, your mental strength always plays a key role."