Dynamic and determined- there’s hardly a dull moment around Christian Horner in F1. In all honesty, this Englishman is the key that’s driving the Milton Keynes-outfit to a vastly impressive performance despite having a car that wasn’t even branded capable of (or certain of) winning.
Then, the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix happened where Max emerged on top.
He is one of the more cerebral personalities in an F1 garage and his thoughtful perspectives on the sport are about as intriguing as the recovery of McLaren in 2019- if it must be said.
Back in the day, along with Sebastian Vettel, he had established a somewhat hegemonic rule in the top echelons of the sport. Currently, he’s the visionary behind one of the sport’s most mercurial talents, the ‘Mad Max!’
Guess what? Christian Horner hasn’t wasted any time whatsoever in lavishing effusive praise on a triumvirate that seems to be the future of Grand Prix racing at its very best: Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen.
Christian Horner Praising the famous new troika
Red Bull’s team principal was sincere in his apprisal of the British, Monegasque and Dutch driving talents that are rising as the new trendsetters in a sport where you literally put your life on the line for triumph and glory.
In his recent media interaction, upon being asked about the future of F1, Christian Horner was of the view that Verstappen, Leclerc, and Norris’ performances- as seen in 2019- are ‘great for the sport.’
On those lines, it’s hardly a surprise why Christian Horner’s thrown his weight behind these rising forces. Where the past three Grands Prix are concerned, then we’ve seen an immensity of competition marked by an aggressive streak of driving between Ferrari newbie Leclerc and Red Bull’s experienced marksman Verstappen.
Leclerc with his poise and grace and Verstappen with his customary flair have demonstrated two top-notch drives at Spielberg and Silverstone, just a time when 2019 was becoming a one-dimensional street constructed by the Silver Arrows.
A season where Mercedes have been the big bullies saw Red Bull’s Max heighten tensions on his way to an awe-inspiring drive at Austria. His snatching the lead from Leclerc in the dying moments with no more than 3 laps to go resulted in a mesmerizing that was hailed universally by fans divided by their support of drivers and teams.
With the Dutchman on top, Charles was the second-best.
At Silverstone, Leclerc answered back and demonstrated a masterclass in defensive driving, holding onto another useful podium, behind the two Mercedes as Max hung in for a fifth finding it tough to breach the defenses of the Ferrari.
In so doing, both Leclerc and Verstappen collected an impressive tally of 33 and 36 points respectively as rookie driver Lando Norris also made headlines given an inspired performance at Red Bull’s home event, following his P6.
All of this has led Christian Horner to share his perspective on a firmament of talent in the sport that’s doing ‘great’ for F1.
The 45-year-old was gung-ho about the future of the sport and was quoted as saying:
“You can never stop time and it’s clear to see some great talent emerging in Formula 1 at the moment – with Max having established himself, Leclerc is doing a great job.
“Lando Norris has done a good job in a McLaren this year. I’m sure George Russell is right there but the equipment [at Williams] doesn’t allow him to show that.
F1 can be excited about the potential of those guys. But it’s also great to see the young guns go up against the established guys as well – the Hamiltons and the Vettels.
“We have a great period in time where you just hope equipment allows those guys to race hard and competitively with each other.”