Christian Horner points to Max Verstappen’s key quality that separates him from his rivals

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed that one of the key qualities of Max Verstappen is his ability to be decisive and go for the opportunity. The Dutch driver claimed his third successive race win at the Spanish GP on Sunday and his fourth overall at the Circuit de Catalunya, having taken his maiden win in 2016.

The three-time world champion had to work hard to claim his seventh win of the season in 10 races as he was pushed all the way by McLaren driver and pole-sitter Lando Norris but managed to hold on to win by the margin of two seconds.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Horner sang praises of Max Verstappen's drive in Barcelona and said:

"He is so decisive, he just doesn't mess about. I think that is one of his key qualities - you know if he is there, he is going to go for it. The other drivers know that."

He further claimed that Lando Norris and McLaren have been the faster combination since Miami, adding:

"Since Miami, Lando has probably been the standout competitor and we are going to have to be at the top of our game to win. It's tight - but we keep winning. McLaren are doing a great job, Ferrari aren't far behind, Mercedes are improving, but we are keeping our noses in front."

Max Verstappen gives his take on his race win in Barcelona

Max Verstappen stated that he won the race after making a great start at the beginning and getting ahead of Norris on Lap 1.

In his post-race interview with F1TV, the Red Bull driver spoke about the race and said:

"I think what made the race was the beginning. I took the lead and then had a buffer in that first stint and could eke out a gap. After that, we had to drive defensively."

"Lando and McLaren were very quick. I think we did everything well. I am very happy to win here. It was about managing the tires. They get very hot around here so you are sliding around quite a lot."

With his fourth win in Spain, Max Verstappen has further extended his lead in the Driver's Championship as he added 25 points to take his tally to 2019 points in ten races and Two Sprints.

Lando Norris, too, overtook Charles Leclerc in P2 and sits on 150 points as compared to 148 of the latter.