Christian Horner backs Max Verstappen's shocking '70%' claim about Red Bull

Christian Horner has backed Max Verstappen's claim that Red Bull did not have the fastest car 70% of the time in 2024. The Dutch driver and the Austrian team were in the front again in 2024 when all of a sudden the team was pushed to the backfoot as rivals caught up with the performance of the car.

The 2024 F1 season had begun on a positive note for Red Bull. The car worked well, and until the race in Miami, Max Verstappen had dropped just one race in Melbourne due to a reliability issue. At Miami, McLaren would bring its first upgrade to the car and leapfrog everyone to be right alongside the Austrian team.

It was from this point onwards that Red Bull continued to regress and its rivals Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren continued to surge. It was due to this drop in form that Max Verstappen saw his lead in the championship continue to decrease in the second half of the season.

Although there was pressure, Verstappen's brilliant race execution in Brazil meant that he closed the door on any opportunity for Lando Norris to catch up to him in the championship. Talking to the media afterward, Max claimed that Red Bull did not have the fastest car for 70% of the season.

Now Red Bull boss Christian Horner has agreed with the driver and pointed out that the race in Miami was the pivotal point. He told RacingNews365:

"I would say that's about right. Since Miami, I would say that was a turning point. The car was very difficult to drive, but he was able to adapt and get the most out of it. I think we've improved it in latter races, but certainly around Monza time, it looked like the championship was slipping away.”

Max Verstappen head and shoulders above every other driver: Christian Horner

The 2024 F1 season saw Max Verstappen elevate things to a whole other level when it came to consistency and racecraft. The Dutch driver was quick to pounce on any opportunity he had, and at the same time he was very measured in his approach on when and who to attack during the race.

Horner acknowledged that the 2024 F1 season saw Verstappen head and shoulders above every other driver and termed him the best on the grid. He told the aforementioned publication:

“Max has been the outstanding driver, absolutely. He’s part of the team, you win as a team and you lose as a team. He’s absolutely inspired within the cockpit and has head and shoulders been the best driver on the grid.”

The 2025 F1 season is going to be interesting because this season, if Red Bull doesn't have a competitive car from the start of the season, it could make things difficult for Max Verstappen to mount a sustained and successful challenge.