15 January 2024 , 11:25
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Christian Horner says Max Verstappen is "uncomfortable" with the attention he receives as a result of his record-breaking Formula 1 success.
Verstappen achieved fame from the moment his F1 career began, simply because of his age. He was just 17 when he was given his first F1 drive and only 18 when he won his first race with Red Bull, making him the youngest ever to achieve both.
His 2021 title race with Lewis Hamilton made Verstappen a household name and saw him become world champion for the first time. And, in the two seasons that have since followed, the Dutchman has established himself as the dominant force in the sport.
It is no secret that Verstappen loves racing and winning. But Red Bull team principal Horner says his star driver would much rather do without the fame and attention that come with success.
He told the Secrets of Success podcast: "As a person, he's just a really nice 26-year-old young man that is passionate about his racing, uncomfortable with a level of fame or notoriety that he has now and just wants to do his job - race the car hard.
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"He's very, very straightforward, very honest and he loves spending time on his Playstation if he's not in a race car. Outside of the car he is quite a gentle character - inside the car, he's ruthless.
"I've never met a driver that is is as driven as Max from the moment that he steps into the car, you know, that you're going to get 110 percent and he will expect 110 percent back from the moment that that car leaves the garage."
With that in mind, Verstappen will be aiming to make it four title successes in a row this year. And Jake Dennis, the Formula E champion who has been driving Red Bull's newest car on the simulator, believes his colleague will have the car he needs to be able to fend off the competition again.
Asked by Mirror Sport what F1 fans can expect from the RB20 having driven the developing car, Dennis said: "We've got an extremely fast race car again at the Red Bull team.
"I would expect us to become champions again, unless someone like Ferrari or Mercedes somehow manages to find about a second [per lap] overnight. I think it's going to be quite a dull season in Formula 1 with Max probably dominating."