Christian Horner and Red Bull sent worrying Max Verstappen’s ‘character’ warning
Former F1 race winner Johnny Herbert has warned Christian Horner and Red Bull that Max Verstappen’s character demands to be challenged, and that the Dutchman could become bored of domination should other teams fail to close up in the battle for World Championships.
Verstappen has been a force to be reckoned with in 2023, winning ten of the opening 12 races and each of the last eight to open up a seemingly unassailable 125-point lead over team-mate and nearest title challenger Sergio Perez.
The Dutch driver has been in a league of his own as he romps to what will be a third successive world title, but many have speculated that the ease with which he is dominating could ultimately leave him jaded and serve to the detriment of Red Bull.
Speaking to CasinoSite.nl, Herbert explained: “Christian Horner has made it clear that Red Bull have no intention of letting up and not dominating the sport. That worries me. That is a mentality I understand but from the racing point of view it is not a good thing if all they want to do is dominate.
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“We want to make the sport better. I would have thought Max is probably bored out of his skull. It is lovely winning and dominating but it is not challenging. And Max is the type of character that wants to be challenged. No-one is able to do that.
“You can say it’s up to everyone else to raise their game to create what Red Bull have created. As an ex-racer I’d want to be pushed and tested and challenged, I’d want to race. I wouldn’t want to just disappear into the distance. It is nice every now and again.”
Despite winning races with an incredible degree of comfort, Verstappen isn’t totally happy with the state of F1 and, worryingly for Red Bull, has made multiple hints that he could be heading for an early retirement once his current contract expires in 2028.
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Verstappen has complained about both the length of the calendar and the changes to the Grand Prix weekend format, which he perceives to be gimmicky, detracting from the enjoyment of a race outing.
Speaking to Sky Sports earlier this year, Verstappen explained: “It is too many (races) for me but we just have to deal with it. I think it (the calendar) is a bit more logical the way that it is planned at least, I guess that is better for everyone.
“But more things will have to come together for me to make my mind up over whether I stay longer (than 2028) or not. But I think that these things are definitely not helping for sure.”
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