Red Bull boss Christian Horner has selected Max Verstappen’s contentious maiden title win at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the team’s greatest highlight in Formula 1.
Verstappen’s arrival at Red Bull’s sister squad, then known as Toro Rosso, as a 17-year-old caused a stir, but his sheer pace and racing instinct proved he was no ordinary rookie.
The Dutchman was promoted to Red Bull’s senior outfit four races into his sophomore campaign in 2016 and vindicated the call with a race on his debut with the team in Spain.
“After he joined us as a teenager, we saw how Max grew,” Horner told Formule 1 Magazine. “We saw his development and his exceptional talent.
“So we just had to give him the tools to exploit that talent, for example by having a competitive engine in the car.”
Those tools came together perfectly in 2021, when Red Bull produced a title-challenging car to take the fight to the all-conquering Mercedes operation.
Verstappen’s relentless duel with Lewis Hamilton produced one of the most dramatic seasons in the sport’s history, culminating in a last-lap showdown in Abu Dhabi.
“That first championship in 2021 was then one of the most iconic seasons in F1, all the way to that last race,” Horner said.
“And it was like a heavyweight fight from the first round in Bahrain to 21 races later in Abu Dhabi. It was definitely the highlight of our team history.”
Verstappen establishes his place in the record books
From there, Verstappen’s dominance became routine as he stormed to a second title in 2022, before producing an even more staggering season in 2023 with 19 victories.
The 2024 campaign proved more challenging, however, despite another dominant start to the season as rivals from McLaren and Ferrari closed the gap on Red Bull.
Despite the pressure, Verstappen’s class shone through, and he claimed nine victories to secure his fourth consecutive Drivers’ title with three rounds remaining.
“That was followed by a dominant title win in 2022 and then an incredible season in 2023,” Horner added.
“It ensured that Max secured a place among the biggest names in the sport and cemented that place every year. I also think he is more than deserving of that.”
READ MORE – Fernando Alonso: Max Verstappen exploits reminiscent of Ferrari 2012 F1 title bid
