“The next Max Verstappen” - Red Bull boss Christian Horner makes a big claim on F1 rookie

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised F1 rookie and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri during one of the episodes of Netflix's F1 series Drive To Survive Season 5. Horner claimed that Piastri could be "the next Max Verstappen."

Piastri caused a bit of drama during the 2022 season when he signed for the British team despite being the reserve driver for their rivals, Alpine. The controversial move to McLaren has been captured in one of the episodes of the new season.

In the episode, Christian Horner said:

"He is an outstanding talent. We had an opportunity to potentially do something with him in his formative years, and we didn't pursue that. That's something that I regret not doing because he could be the next Max Verstappen."

Christian Horner had expected similar sentiments last season when he came out in support of the young Aussie driver amid the drama surrounding his move. On his appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast, he added:

"He drove for the Arden team in Formula 4 and Formula Renault and was obviously a significant talent. There was an opportunity for Red Bull to look at him at the time, and we didn't take up that option, which is something that I regret. But what he went on to achieve is phenomenal, in Formula 3 and Formula 2."

"Now if he'd have been a driver here, there is no way that he wouldn't have been under lock and key for a period in time. As I say, I wasn't party, it's difficult to judge what was promised or reneged on or so on [at Alpine]. But certainly, it was unexpected, probably from several areas."

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"We’ll see this time next week; I think all will become clear" - Red Bull team boss Christian Horner

Christian Horner stated that the Aston Martin F1 team took a significant step heading into the new season after seeing their performance during the pre-season test.

Speaking to F1.com, he also commented on where Red Bull stood in terms of their advantage over their rivals, adding:

“Yeah, I think they’ve made a big step. It looks like their concept of car has moved them forward and they look like they’re not too far away, so Fernando in particular looks very competitive."

"Very difficult to say. I mean, Ferrari look like they’re quick, Mercedes’ form [is] difficult to read at the moment. Are they holding something back? We’ll see this time next week; I think all will become clear.”

It would be interesting to see if Red Bull have made any further gains for the 2023 season.