Purple Bull's title-winning boss seems on a particular version of the Sky Sports activities F1 podcast to replicate on his group's record-breaking 2023 marketing campaign; Pay attention in full as Christian Horner talks drivers, rivals, the expansion of F1 and the story behind THIS picture with Toto Wolff
10:21 UK Friday 8 December 2023
Purple Bull boss Christian Horner has defined why being a team-mate to world champion Max Verstappen is such a “robust gig”.
Purple Bull's title-winning group boss, who oversaw essentially the most dominant championship win in F1 historical past, options in a particular version Sky Sports activities podcast F1 during which he mentioned the group's report season, drivers Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, his relationship with Mercedes rival Toto Wolff and rather more.
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Of three-time champion Verstappen, Horner mentioned it was “unimaginable to fault the season he's had” and that it was the Dutchman's relentlessness on monitor that made it such a problem for present team-mate Sergio Perez and others earlier than him to go up towards him. .
“We at all times subject essentially the most aggressive automobiles we will, there's by no means a distinction between the 2 automobiles,” Horner mentioned.
“We had an period with Sebastian [Vettel] the place he was extremely dominant and tough to be his teammate.
“Precisely the identical with Max now.
“He's a machine. He's for sure the most effective driver in Formulation 1 right now, as a three-time world champion, and being his team-mate is extremely tough. In case you're not mentally robust, you're not going to manage.” being his teammate is very easy.
“He’s relentless in his tempo, in the best way he works and I feel that was one of many positives of Checo. [Perez] that he has the power of character to take care of it. We've seen it break others previously. Being his teammate is a tricky gig.”
Requested if, with Verstappen much more skilled, Purple Bull would ever think about pairing him with a younger junior driver, Horner mentioned: “The expectations of the Purple Bull drivers are so excessive that it could be very unfair to place a junior straight into Purple Bull . Bull racing.
“That's the posh of getting an AlphaTauri. It's supplied Max, it's supplied Seb, Daniel Ricciardo, so a lot of our drivers have come out of AlphaTauri automobiles over time.
Perez, 33, will start his fourth season with the Dutchman in 2024, the ultimate 12 months of his present contract.
Requested what the New 12 months's decision could be for every of his drivers, Horner mentioned of Perez: “His largest decision could be to type out qualifying.
“That's been his Achilles heel at sure factors this 12 months and if he can try this, his race tempo is at all times robust, he races very effectively.
“We’d like him to qualify nearer to the entrance, nearer to Max and put extra stress on him. We are able to't afford to overlook him at sure factors within the championship.” [not] have that consistency.
“He completed second this 12 months, third final 12 months and fourth the 12 months earlier than, so he's heading in the right direction.”
Horner mentioned in a separate interview with Sky Sports activities Information this week that “every little thing is open” concerning their driver choices alongside Verstappen in 2025, with inner and exterior candidates within the operating.
Along with the incumbent Perez, Daniel Ricciardo is within the operating, having rejoined the Purple Bull group this 12 months and returned to race for sister group AlphaTauri.
“When he got here to us, you could possibly inform he was accomplished with Formulation 1 and he wasn't having fun with it,” Horner mentioned of Ricciardo, who initially returned to the third driver function after being dropped by McLaren on the finish of 2022. .
“However the smile slowly got here again, the power got here again and that take a look at he did for us at Silverstone mid-season was actually, actually spectacular and the work behind the scenes on the simulator so he deserved an opportunity at AlphaTauri.” .
“He was unfortunate to interrupt his arm at Zandvoort. However I believed he rode very effectively this 12 months and most significantly, with the expertise he had, he gave the group some technical steerage. I feel that actually benefited the AlphaTauri group.”
Horner in Purple Bull's report automobile – and what's subsequent in 2024
“It's a chunk of historical past now,” Horner says of the group's 2023 automobile, which gained all however one of many season's 22 races.
“What he's achieved is kind of excellent and naturally a number of it was carried over from the RB18. A number of the chassis was carried over, a number of the suspension was carried over, the gearbox was precisely the identical.”
“So in all probability 60 % of the automobiles really raced final 12 months as effectively. The variety of races that a few of these elements have gained is over 30 races.”
“It's unbelievable to assume what we've achieved as a group, so for this automobile to interrupt all of the data, from McLaren's 1988 season to successful 95.5 % of the races this 12 months, was simply phenomenal and Max was on to one thing else.” degree this 12 months as effectively.”
So what’s going to hold Purple Bull motivated to win in 2024?
“Everyone seems to be so pushed to succeed and naturally Singapore nonetheless hurts this 12 months that we misplaced the race and it's an enormous reminder, it's a humbling reminder that it's not that simple and now we have some huge opponents who need to beat us. I need to see us fail,” Horner added.
“It's the motivation that fuels us and drives us, and that feeling of successful turns into addictive and no person desires to lose that feeling.”
Watch our 2023 season preview stay on Sky Sports activities F1 at 7.30pm on Friday, that includes unique interviews with Purple Bull group principal Christian Horner and Mercedes technical director James Allison. Stream F1 on Sky Sports activities with NOW