Verstappen is on the cusp of securing a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, despite not having the quickest car for a significant chunk of the season.
It’s been a season of three chapters for Red Bull, with the first quarter of the season seeing the reigning Champions pick up where they left off after 2023 by dominating the early stages of the season.
But, in Miami, that dominance came to a shuddering stop and, while Verstappen has sprinkled in a handful of wins here and there, it’s generally been McLaren with the quickest car as the Woking-based squad has moved into the lead of the Constructors’ Championship while Lando Norris piled on the pressure in the Drivers’ standings.
But Verstappen all but ended Norris’ charge with an emphatic drive in Brazil, with the Dutch driver possibly set to wrap up his title this weekend in Las Vegas – the scenario of Verstappen’s victory seemingly only a matter of when, not if.
While Red Bull defending the Constructors’ Championship now seems unlikely, with the Milton Keynes-based squad 49 points behind McLaren with three Grands Prix remaining, Verstappen’s season has been singled out for praise by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
“Max has demonstrated this year the mental aptitude and strength he possesses,” Horner said of Verstappen in an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail.
“He has raced brilliantly, he has delivered at key moments, he has not panicked when things haven’t been going his way. He has driven like a four-time world champion this year.”
Red Bull’s season went awry as the RB20’s development path resulted in imbalances and ill-handling setting in, leading to the team eventually admitting a correlation issue between its simulated data and the reality of the racetrack – not the first time such issues have emerged for a team under the current ground effect regulations.
But changes introduced for the United States Grand Prix have stabilised the ship at Red Bull, particularly through the introduction of a revised floor specification that has brought back predictability and more positive balance – although the RB20 still doesn’t have the outright pace of the likes of the Ferrari or the McLaren, it has given Verstappen the confidence to be able to attack once again.
It led to Verstappen fighting Norris hard in the United States, a battle he emerged from on top after a penalty for the McLaren man, before a troubled weekend in Mexico was followed up by his stellar drive at Interlagos.
“He is the most deserving driver on the grid to win this world championship,” Horner said.
“He has worked hard – harder than any previous year, because we have had our backs against the wall through the summer. He has worked hard with the engineers.
“He has also inspired from within the cockpit. You see the kind of race he drove in Brazil, the motivation that put into the team in Milton Keynes on Monday morning, you can feel the energy. I appreciate throughout the year, he has been nothing but professional, supportive, and fantastic to work with.”
Not only on the track, but Red Bull has also been at the centre of off-track headlines due to an early-season internal investigation by Red Bull GmbH into allegations surrounding Horner – allegations from which he was cleared by two separate independent KCs investigating complaints from a Red Bull employee.
It brought to a shuddering halt the dream that was the F1 2023 season, in which Red Bull produced the most dominant F1 season ever seen, with the F1 2024 season duly proving a much different challenge.
“Will everything that happened this season make us stronger next year? One hundred percent,” Horner said.
“What doesn’t break you makes you stronger. One hundred percent we will emerge from 2024 stronger as a team, more determined than ever, and more resolute.
“And what is exciting for me is what the future holds. We are producing our own engine for 2026 and that is a massive undertaking. The commitment and the passion that there is in the business is superb and we will succeed.
“Max will be here. He trusts in the people around him. He believes in the people around him. He is winning. He is in a great place and of course, we have got to keep delivering a car that is worthy of his talents and I am confident we can do that.
“Look, my tactic this year has been to keep my head down and get on with it. Let them throw their stones, do your job and at the end of the year, if we take the trophy home, we will have delivered under colossal pressure and scrutiny. But whatever happens, I will be proud of what we have achieved together, as a team and against the odds.”
