"Difficult to make comparisons" - Christian Horner on Max Verstappen's championship vs. Sebastian Vettel's

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says it is difficult to compare Sebastian Vettel's championship win with Max Verstappen's. The Briton feels as if both championships were special in their own way and came with their own set of problems and difficulties.

In an interview at the FIA Champions' press conference on Thursday, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was asked to compare Verstappen's maiden title win to Vettel's strong campaign with the team. Horner claimed the maiden titles for both the drivers were equally special in his eyes and came with their own unique set of challenges in two different eras. He said:

"It's always difficult to make comparisons but I think the first title was very special because that one was against the odds as well. This one feels equally as special as that very first title. I think the intensity and the competitiveness of this one has been insane."

Max Verstappen won his maiden drivers' title in the sport on Sunday after a late safety car coupled with fresher tires helped him clinch a win over Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Horner also spoke about the competition all season between Mercedes and Red Bull, saying:

"I think the fact that it has been against the quality of opposition that we’ve had. Both Lewis and Mercedes team has stretched us to probably beyond what we even thought we were even capable of, and that's what makes it even more rewarding. That during the hybrid era Mercedes have been all dominant, they’ve annihilated the opposition, and finally we’ve managed too produce a competitive car, and Max Verstappen has grabbed it with both hands."

The 2021 battle between Red Bull and Mercedes ended in a split decision, with Max Verstappen winning the drivers' title for his team, while Mercedes won the constructors' title thanks to Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas' performances year round.

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Max Verstappen all set to run car number one in 2022 season

Max Verstappen is to follow in Sebastian Vettel's footsteps as the young driver confirmed he will change his car number from #33 to #1 for the 2022 season. No driver has run the number since Sebastian Vettel in 2014.

Verstappen said in an interview after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he feels he may not get the chance to do so ever again. He said:

"Yeah, I will run it. How many times can you do that? I don't know, maybe it's the only time I can in my life. I think it's the best number out there. I will definitely put it on the car."

Max Verstappen will enter the new season as car #1 while Lewis Hamilton will continue with his #44 car.

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