Max Verstappen ‘like a metronome’ and took his driving to ‘another level’ in 2022, says Red Bull boss Christian Horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Max Verstappen took his driving to “another level” in 2022, and that “the more pressure there was, the more he delivered”.

Verstappen romped to the World Championship – his second – in fine style, finishing with a record 15 victories from the 22 races, and with a giant gap of 146 points to second-placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

That came after the momentous 2021 season, which saw Verstappen win his first title after edging out Lewis Hamilton amid huge controversy in the Abu Dhabi finale.

“I think that Max, having been through that and triumphed at the end of that… one forgets that he’s still so young, you know, [25] years of age. Doing that last year, [and then] coming into this year, I think he just made another step.

“I think the maturity that he’s driven with, he’s just taken it to another level this year. You look at the Grands Prix that he won earlier in the year: the double-header in Imola was spectacular, his race in Miami with Charles… in those early races, the racing that was wheel-to-wheel was stunning.

“Then he just kept going, like a metronome, he kept delivering, and the more pressure there was, the more he delivered – [there were] some incredible victories.

“Hungary springs to mind, where he had to take a penalty and drive through the field; Spa was totally dominant; the pressure of Zandvoort… the list just goes on and on.

“I think he has been truly outstanding this year. It’s been an incredible season for him, it’s been an incredible season for the team.

“Obviously, to win [the title] in Japan, with four races to go, was quite some achievement.”