Lewis Hamilton is "statistically the best F1 driver of all time" claims Christian Horner

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner admits Lewis Hamilton is statistically the greatest driver of all time.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will see a showdown between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on Sunday, who are currently level on points. Christian Horner spoke at a press conference ahead of the historic race. He revealed what he had been saying to Max Verstappen and the rest of the boys over at RedBull.

Christian Horner praised the Dutchman for his performances so far this season. In the process he also praised Lewis Hamilton, calling him the greatest driver of all time by virtue of his statistics in the sport. He said of Verstappen:

"As a 24-year-old young man, to drive under scrutiny and pressure and the intensity that he's had has been quite simply outstanding. To go up against the 36-year-old, seven-time world champion, the mental strength he has demonstrated this year has been outstanding. We're proud of everything he has done and that he is standing here, tied with statistically, the best driver of all time so it has been an amazing journey."

Horner has the incredible task of keeping the young Dutchman's mind in a healthy place ahead of the race. He said:

"In the end, the most important thing is for him to enjoy his weekend. To give his best and drive exactly as he has in the previous 21 races. And to attack the weekend in the way that he has, that has given him those nine victories and taken him to the point of being tied on points with Lewis Hamilton."

Lewis Hamilton leads FP3 ahead of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas

Lewis Hamilton went fastest at the end of FP3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, outperforming rival Max Verstappen by more than 0.2s. This is the first FP3 session since the Hungarian Grand Prix where the Briton has set the fastest lap.

With the qualifying session on Saturday evening, teams will be working hard to tweak their car setups to perfection. After leaving the garage for Q1, they will be under Parc Ferme conditions and won't be able to make any further adjustments to their setups.

Catch the final qualifying session of the 2021 F1 season live as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battle it out one final time.