Christian Horner feels Max Verstappen deserves respect for his record-breaking achievements in F1 this season rather than the slurs he has experienced from Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff.
Nearly two years on from the controversial conclusion to the dramatic 2021 campaign that resulted in Verstappen winning his first title and denying Hamilton the ultimate achievement of a standalone record of eight, there is still no love lost between the 25-year-old and Mercedes.
In setting a new record for the consecutive number of wins with 10 by taking the chequered flag in last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton belittled the calibre of Verstappen’s team-mates compared to those throughout his own career.
“In my personal opinion, Valtteri and all of my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates that Max has had,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Jenson (Button), Fernando (Alonso), George (Russell), Valtteri, Nico (Rosberg) – I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very, very strong, very consistent and Max has not raced against anyone like that.”
Team principal Wolff also stated that Mercedes’ situation “was a little bit different” as he had “two guys fighting against each other within the team”.
Wolff also added that “those numbers are for Wikipedia, and nobody reads that anyway”.
Wolff’s comments also follow on from a remark ahead of the Dutch GP in which he stated that Red Bull had built its car around Verstappen, so favouring him over Sergio Perez. The two-time champion stated that was “b******t”.
Wolff has since been criticised for his “Wikipedia” jibe by 1996 champion Damon Hill, former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 co-commentator Martin Brundle, and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
With the two teams seemingly on the precipice of another war of words, as unfolded in 2021, Horner stated that “I don’t want to get drawn into commenting on that”.
Instead, he feels Verstappen should be appreciated for achieving a feat not previously seen in F1’s 73-year history.
“Max, what he’s doing, he’s breaking records, and driving at an unbelievable level,” said Horner. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the world right now that could beat Max Verstappen in this car, that’s for sure.
“You have to recognise and applaud what Max is doing at the moment.
“It’s very special to achieve what he’s achieved, and we shouldn’t detract from that in any way.
“In sport, very rarely things like this happen. It’s a golden moment for him, and certainly a golden moment for the team.”
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