Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was full of praise for Max Verstappen after the Dutchman seized his way through the field at the 2024 São Paulo GP to win a race which he started from 17th place after an ill-timed red flag in the postponed qualifying session left him out of Q3.
With his closest rival in the championship starting from pole position in the form of Lando Norris’ McLaren, it looked set to be a day of damage limitation for the championship leader – but it proved much more fruitful than that, as the reigning world champion made his way to the front of the field by lap 34 and never looked back again, winning the race with a margin of over 19 seconds over second-placed driver Esteban Ocon.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race in Interlagos, Red Bull team principal and CEO Christian Horner was full of praise for the three-time world champion, underlining the importance of driver skill and precision on a day where many fell by the wayside in difficult weather conditions:
“It was a masterclass today,” said Horner. “I think in those conditions the driver’s skill really comes to a fore and he was in a league of his own. So, I think as a team we got all the calls right and the car had great pace. So, an outstanding drive to come from 17th.
“This morning it felt [like] everything had gone against us, but he turned it around.
“And after a great start, I mean, around the outside there. Six cars on the first lap, I mean, it was an incredible, incredible performance from him. So, one of his very best.”
Horner reckons that victory in São Paulo will prove to be a “big day” in the fight for the drivers’ world championship, as Verstappen regained the grip on his crown that seemed to be heading Norris’ way after the early morning qualifying session, and reckons the Dutchman’s move to take the lead from Esteban Ocon proved crucial in the context of the race:
“It’s a big day for the Drivers’ Championship today. And I never expected to win that.
“I thought if we could get somewhere near the podium would be an amazing result. So for him to have gone out there and won that race, it was an outstanding drive, absolutely.
“He was patient. He attacked when he needed to. And his restart, I mean, he came from so far back [to get ahead of Esteban Ocon]. [It was] truly, truly an outstanding drive today.
“I think Max is invaluable, it’s impossible to put a number on that. I mean, that was a champion’s drive. And there’s some great drivers out there, as we all know.
“But to stand out and shine like that today – that marks him out, I think, with some of the greats now. And, the way he’s driven, and even when we’ve had a difficult car this year, he has never given up.
“He’s gone about collecting the points, and he’s always trying to get maximum out of the car.”
Whilst very complimentary of the difference Verstappen made on such a tough day, the 50-year-old made sure to praise the work done by the Milton Keynes-based squad in order to give the Dutchman a car that was in its working window for the first time in a while, as they won for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix back in June:
“We’ve given him a very good car this weekend. In the dry yesterday he was quick. And the car was in a window that it was working very well.
“I think in the wet and the dry, he’s the best in the world at the moment. And it’s been a while, but I think the whole team have really kept their heads and worked incredibly hard.
“We’ve fought back into a winning position, and that’s testimony to the effort that goes on behind the scenes back in Milton Keynes that nobody ever gives up. We’ve demonstrated that today.”
Reflecting on the race itself, Horner admitted they kept Verstappen out when Lando Norris and George Russell pitted because they were anticipating an intervention from a possible safety car or even red flag due to the worsening conditions of the circuit with increasing rain:
“You’re sort of in the lap of the gods at that point. And you’re hanging in there for exactly the situation that we had with a safety car. And then it went red and then it resets the race. So, yeah, it’s a difficult one.
“We lost out this morning [in qualifying], and it went right for us this afternoon.”
