02 January 2024 , 19:21
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Christian Horner wants to avoid Max Verstappen becoming a "robot", despite Formula 1 chiefs wanting the champion to be more supportive of the sport.
The Dutchman is the most powerful racer in the sport right now on the back of the most successful season any driver has put together. A record-breaking 19 wins from 22 races saw Verstappen rewrite several more pages of the history books as his Red Bull team dominated the grid.
His success meant Verstappen got more airtime than most. But he spent much of his time when speaking to the media complaining about several different things as his outspokenness, as well as his success, reached a new level.
There was more derision from the Red Bull star about the F1 Sprint format, which he openly hates. And his most infamous rant of the year came at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, when he said it was more spectacle than sport and quipped: "Monaco is Champions League... this is National League."
F1 chiefs would dearly love to get Verstappen talking more positively about the sport. But his boss Horner doesn't want his star driver to change a thing about himself. "We believe in our drivers having a freedom of choice," the Red Bull chief told Motorsport.com.
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"They're not robots, they have opinions. And Max has a voice as the world champion, and we don't constrain him to give a PR view. He's a very honest, young guy and he'll tell you how he sees it. And I think that's actually quite refreshing."
Regardless of Verstappen's penchant for a controversial outburst, though, Horner feels his driver has grown up since he first entered F1. But, otherwise, he doesn't believe there is too much different about the Dutchman.
He added: "I think he's changing because he's maturing a little bit, he's got a bit more facial hair these days. But no, the essence of who he is [is the same]. He gets in, he drives the car, drives the wheels off it.
"He doesn't enjoy all the razzmatazz that surrounds Formula 1, but he never has. He does his job professionally. He's just an out-and-out racer and [has his] feet on the ground. And if he's not racing here, he'll be driving a GT car or racing online. He lives and breathes it."
Verstappen's 2023 title success was his third consecutive championship, at the age of 26. With time on his side, a contract until the end of 2028 and at a Red Bull team which looks to have a baked-in advantage for the next two seasons, he will be the favourite to add more trophies to his already-bursting cabinet.