When Christian Horner defended Max Verstappen’s ‘doesn’t really matter’ stance amid rival backlash

In his third season in Formula 1, Max Verstappen was already making strong statements on the track and off it as well. After spending a year with the junior team, Toro Rosso, the Dutchman was promoted to Red Bull Racing, where he won on his debut with the team in 2016. Over time, he also made strong moves that led to criticism from more senior drivers, but it didn't affect Verstappen. In fact, the words of his fellow grid members didn't matter at all to the driver, which team principal Christian Horner attributed to a matter of 'youth'.

In an interview with The Guardian during the 2017 season, Max Verstappen spoke about the aggressive maneuvers he made during a race at Spa in the previous year that led to the FIA instituting new guidelines regarding under-braking, partly because the drivers wouldn't accept criticism from others. Verstappen said,

“The biggest critic I have in my life is my dad so everything else is just a breeze; it doesn’t really matter to me."

The Red Bull Racing team boss came to his defense, stating that the comments were from a driver who was being competitive and filled with potential. Horner said:

“He has the petulance of youth. He pushes, he challenges but that’s what you want to see in a driver. You want there to be a pure spirit in there and not try to dampen it down and over‑manage it. Like any artist in many respects, you have to give them the freedom to breathe. He is growing in experience every grand prix and getting stronger and stronger. The potential is what is so exciting.”

The 2017 season ended with Verstappen adding two more wins to his record, as well as finishing four times on the podium. The RBR driver ended up finishing sixth in the standings, a spot lower than his finish in his debut year with the Austrian team.

Over the next three seasons, Max Verstappen finished fourth, and then third for two years, before going on to win the next four championship titles consecutively.

Max Verstappen admits to focusing on being faster than everyone else

Max Verstappen prepares to drive in the garage before the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on November 26, 2017 - Source: Getty

The then 19-year-old driver opened up about his mindset regarding his pursuit towards winning a championship title. Max Verstappen admitted to aiming towards focusing on himself and his skill, as well as attempting to be faster than the other drivers on the grid.

In the same interview mentioned above, the Dutch driver discussed the significance of working on one's character and knowing what needs to be done. He added,

“It is very important to be yourself and just focus on yourself, because you know exactly what you have to do. The most important thing is just being faster than everyone else and that is what I am aiming for.”

In 2025, Max Verstappen has accumulated a total of 36 points over the first two races of the season, putting him in second place behind Lando Norris in the drivers' standings.