Although Max Verstappen achieved his fourth title in a row, it was a remarkable season for the Dutchman given his 2024 troubles.
The RB20 was the third-fastest car of the year after Red Bull slipped behind the competition midway through the season, with breakthrough upgrades from Ferrari and McLaren putting them on course for a title battle.
It was McLaren who ultimately triumphed in the Constructors’ Championship, while Red Bull was out of it mathematically due to the poor finishes of Sergio Perez.
With Verstappen effectively carrying the team throughout the year by scoring the bulk of their points, team principal Christian Horner has explained one thing that he did with his engineers that improved their chances when speaking to RacingNews365.nl.
Christian Horner praises Max Verstappen’s working method
The Dutchman is known for being ruthless on track and this translates into his work ethic off the track, putting in the hours to extract more pace from his car.
There was one thing that he did, according to Horner, that effectively determined the right direction for Red Bull to take amid their troubles in 2024.
“He was great and inspiring from the cockpit. And the work plan that he has drawn up together with the engineers to determine a direction… He indicated what we should focus on,” said Horner.
Horner praises Verstappen’s working method: “He is always very straightforward and is not influenced by noise in his work. Our relationship has always been strong.
“The (investigation into Horner ed.) had nothing to do with him and he remains straightforward in that regard. Max was simply phenomenal in 2024. He is the ultimate racer and just loves racing, even if that doesn’t happen in the real world.”
Why Red Bull should be optimistic about 2025 title fight
Red Bull has often been the team to beat in recent years, but at the start of the 2025 season it might no longer be the case if the end of 2024 is anything to go by.
Verstappen has been vocal about an oversteer issue with his Red Bull, which has been a common theme in the past two seasons.
READ MORE: Why Red Bull felt they were ‘pegged back’ by Formula 1 over 2024 ‘grey areas’
The team will likely be working on a remedy over the winter break if they want to challenge McLaren and Ferrari in the title race.
Red Bull won more races than any other Constructor in 2024, with a win percentage of 37.5% which is 12.5% more than Ferrari and 20.8% more than McLaren.
