“Best Driver on the Grid”: With Rumors of Max Verstappen Leaving F1 on the Back Burner, Christian Horner Explains the Dutchman’s Mindset

The machinery is only half of what matters in a championship. The other half is the mindset of the driver. Look at what happened to Lewis Hamilton last season. After the defeat at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, he did not manage to get himself back up and lost to George Russell in the championship last year. With Max Verstappen’s retirement rumors getting stronger, Christian Horner came forward to explain his winning mindset as he put the rumors to bed for the time being. But what mindset is Horner talking about?

Max Verstappen has been vocal about his thoughts regarding the changes in the sprint format. It is a known fact that he is not a fan of the sprint and even threatened to leave the sport in case FIA and F1 decide to make more changes to the sprint format. However, that wasn’t the only time when the Dutchman hinted at early retirement. Verstappen once explained how he does not like the PR activities and marketing shoots that go on off track and suggested that it’s only a couple more years of all that as he hinted toward an early retirement. 

Christian Horner has now come out explaining Max Verstappen’s mindset as the retirement rumors grow stronger. Horner suggested how Verstappen is impulsive and will one day decide what he wants. Nevertheless, he’s still hungry and wants more and will not be leaving the sport anytime soon. His latest contract extension with Red Bull put him with the team till 2028. The Red Bull Honcho labeled the Dutchman as being the best driver on the grid for the past 3-4 years, suggesting he still has a lot left in him.

According to Soymotor, Christian Horner said, “I think Max is the type of driver who will just one day decide what he wants to do. But he is 25 years old, he is motivated, he is hungry to achieve much more and he still has several years of racing ahead of him. He’s still growing, he’s getting better and better as he gets more experienced and he’s getting finer, but that innate driving ability, his hunger, his talent and everything we’ve seen since day one shows that he still has a lot in there. I think he is the best driver on the grid and he has been for the last three or four years.“

Read More: “He Means Business”: Max Verstappen’s Sore Loser Image Shattered by Sergio Perez With a Sportsman-Like Confession

As Horner put the retirement rumors on the back burner while explaining Max’s Mindset, the imminent threat of a Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes-like dominance swayed over the remaining field. However, Christian Horner did support Max Verstappen’s sprint comments that explained how the pressure increases within the team during the sprint. With the season already being 23 race weekends long, it gets very difficult for the team to manage. 

Christian Horner on the increasing number of racing venues. 

With the F1 season getting longer and longer, the pressure on the teams keeps increasing as everyone has to keep up with the schedule. Transportation of huge amounts of machinery and materials has to take place for a weekend to happen. Christian Horner explains how at one point, the teams and fans will reach a saturation point with 23 races season being a lot on the plate for everyone. He suggests keeping the current venues rather than adding more so that the threshold is not broken. 

According to si.com, Christian Horner said, “But you do reach a point where you wonder where you get saturation, and 23 is an insane amount of racing and mileage that we have to cover in a season. I think it’s better to have competition for the existing venues [rather] than just keep adding more and more because you do get to a breaking point, which I don’t feel we’re that far from.”

Watch this Story: Will Max Verstappen Retire Early from F1?

What did you make of Christian Horner’s comments about Max Verstappen’s mindset?