Verstppen's 'Inner Confidence' Prevents Him From Panicking According To Red Bull Team Principal

Wednesday, 08 November 2023 at 11:00

Updated at Saturday, 18 November 2023 at 21:44

Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner described Max Verstappen after the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint weekend.

Max Verstappen seems unstoppable at this point of the 2023 season. It seems like there is nothing that competitor teams could do to overtake Red Bull for the race lead.

Lando Norris said after the race at Interlagos Circuit: "P2 is as good as we can get nowadays." Even though he drove a fantastic race and kept the pace with Dutchman for many laps, he did not get a chance to get into the race lead.

The 17th win in a single season just highlights the speed and consistency of the three-time World Champion. His team principal Christian Horner told the media after the most recent race:

"Everybody manages their pace differently in a race. Max has become so good at reading a race that he doesn't panic if he sees them taking time out of him in the middle sector or whatever."

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Lando Norris tried to put pressure on the Dutchman during the race in Sao Paulo, but Verstappen responded only with a "couple of mega laps." Horner added:

"He's looking at the long game, and I think he's just got that inner confidence that he knows he knows where he is."

The team principal said the biggest evolution of Verstappen's driving style happened between 2019 and 2020. It was during this time that neither Pierre Gasly nor Alex Albon could match his pace in the Red Bull.

"In 2019 it was during that period he really, really stepped it up - 2019/20 to a degree. Mercedes had a rocket ship in 2020 and we were still able to win some races that year. Then obviously, 2021 was massive."

The three-time World Champion keeps breaking records this season. In Sao Paulo, he achieved magical 500 points in a single season and also extended the record for the most wins in a single season.