Max Verstappen has secured himself among the all-time Formula 1 greats after winning his fourth title in Las Vegas.
His 2024 title has been arguably one of the most challenging since the 2021 season-long battle with Lewis Hamilton, given the difficulties Red Bull has experienced with the RB20.
A lot of the problems they faced were put down to an upgrade Red Bull made as far back as 2023, which set them down the wrong development path for their floor. Adrian Newey’s exit also had a profound effect on Red Bull’s ability to extract the most out of their package on a race weekend.
Despite the drop in performance, Verstappen put together a consistent season by never finishing lower than six place, even when he clocked up two 10-second time penalties in Mexico for forcing Lando Norris off track.
Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races this year and took a stunning victory in the rain at Sao Paulo, whereby he climbed from P17 on the grid and made use of a red flag to gain a pit advantage and win the race.
Gianpiero Lambiase highlighted one thing F1 rivals must find ‘frightening’ about Verstappen heading into next season, while Christian Horner has pin pointed an ‘outstanding’ aspect of his chracter that enabled him to win four championships in a row when speaking on the Pirelli Box Box Box podcast.
Christian Horner highlights ‘outstanding Max Verstappen trait after fourth title win
Verstappen has undoubtedly been one of the standout drivers in 2024 due to his sheer ruthlessness on track, which in part won him the title against Norris.
The Dutchman didn’t eclipse his win record from 2023 at the wheel of the RB20, but this season has been one of his biggest tests considering Red Bull hardly had the fastest car.
Horner, who has been at the helm of Red Bull for 18 years, believes Verstappen’s ability to deliver when it matters is what seperates him from the rest of the field currently in F1.
“His mental strength, that mental resilience in the big point moments. Like any great sportsman, it’s always when the pressure is really on that they deliver. That is what he has been really outstanding on,” said Horner.
Lando Norris told to study Max Verstappen to beat him
Peter Windsor thinks Charles Leclerc is the only driver on the current grid that can handle Verstappen’s punchy attiude on track, as he often employs forceful moves to either attack or defend places.
F1 insiders believe Norris will need to change the way he races Verstappen next season if he wants to mount another title challenge and find himself ahead.
READ MORE: Red Bull told why they ‘can’t just rely’ on ‘super’ Max Verstappen next season
The 2009 F1 World Champion, Jenson Button thinks Norris must study every bit of footage from this season to come out on top.
Next year will likely be a lot closer given the cars will be relitively the same on performacne and teams will be focusing on the 2026 regulations.
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