Both Christian Horner and Max Verstappen were in a punchy
mood after a triumphant Brazilian Grand Prix, with both men from the Red Bull
camp taking a moment to point out their successes to those who doubted them.
While Max Verstappen took
aim at the British press in the FIA post-race press conference, Red Bull boss
Christian Horner teased Damon Hill for saying “something nice” about Verstappen
after several strong criticisms.
Horner, Hill praise dominant Max Verstappen Brazil GP
drive
Damon Hill hasn’t gone easy on Max Verstappen lately.
Speaking to the Sky F1 podcast between the Mexican and Brazilian
rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the 1996 World Champion offered
scathing criticisms about the Dutch racer’s fairness.
“The problem that Max has is he simply refuses to concede
any turf at all, to anyone, in an overtake,” Hill stated.
After analyzing the on-track maneuvers that earned
Verstappen a whopping 20 seconds of penalties in Mexico, Hill concluded, “It is
possible to race fairly and that is something I’m not sure that Max is capable
of.
“It’s not in his repertoire. It’s not in his philosophy.
His philosophy is that ‘you’re not coming past.’”
Verstappen himself responded to Hill’s critiques during
the pre-race press conference in Brazil, saying, “I don’t listen to those
individuals. I just do my own thing.
“I’m a three-time world champion. I think I know what I’m
doing.
“Honestly like, I have my opinions. I don’t need to share
them.”
But as everyone in motorsport knows, the best way to silence
your critics is to put on a dominant performance – and that’s just what Max
Verstappen did in Brazil.
A challenging qualifying session on Sunday morning paired
with a five-place grid penalty saw Verstappen start the Brazilian Grand Prix
from 17th position on the grid. A win seemed ambitious — but win is just what
Verstappen did.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race,
Christian Horner was enthusiastic about Verstappen’s performance, saying, “It
was a masterclass today, and I think in those conditions, the driver’s skill
really comes to a fore, and he was in a league of his own.
“I think as team we got all the calls right, and the car had
great pace.”
Horner acknowledged that the P17 start contributed to the
feeling that “everything had gone against us,” but that the reigning champion’s
“outstanding drive” helped the team turn the day around — especially after
passing a whopping six cars on the very first lap.
“It was an incredible, incredible performance from him
— one of his very best,” Horner gushed.
Even further, Damon Hill offered a few words of praise as well, saying, “We sort of conjected at the beginning that maybe this was a day when he could show everyone his brilliance, and he’s absolutely done that today.”
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