Verstappen's Influence In Red Bull Similar To Hamilton In Mercedes According To Horner

Wednesday, 10 January 2024 at 01:00

In his recent interview, Christian Horner suggested that World Champions like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton might get away with more things in their teams than other drivers.

People often debate whether drivers in certain teams get equal treatment. While all teams probably try to make the situation as fair and equal as possible, it is not always the case.

Asked whether sometimes the best drivers are allowed to get away with what others probably wouldn't, Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports:

"It’s inevitable in any sport I would have thought. I mean, Max came to us as a teenager, he’s now a World Champion. I think the same with Lewis Hamilton."

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While people might look at this and say that's unfair, the drivers can only get away with things because they have more bargaining power due to their performances.

If a team is very interested in a certain driver, the driver has more "wiggle room" more space for negotation in certain areas. Horner continued on Hamilton:

"He’s now the most successful driver of all time. He will have more sway within his team than his team-mate, because his value to the team is significantly greater."

While Horner admitted there are certain privileges afforded to the best drivers, he also says everything has its limits and needs to be kept in check.

"And I think that it’s a matter of keeping that in check. Of course, there will be certain privileges that are allowed to your centre forward, your star player, but he’s still part of a team, he still needs to, you know, there’s no room for a prima donna because at that point, it becomes bigger than the team."

As Fred Vasseur said, every single team principal would like to have the triple World Champion on his team. Therefore, Red Bull needs to look after their driver and make sure he is satisfied. But there always has to be the balance that Horner emphasizes.

"And that’s where it’s a matter of achieving that balance, being respectful of the status that they’ve achieved, but also still recognising you’re part of a team, you need all the other elements to deliver for you to be able to deliver your part."