Max Verstappen, the race winner, celebrated his victory on the podium of the Chinese Grand Prix. Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull, compared Verstappen to a «metronome» and believes that his continuous success in Formula 1 deserves more recognition.
Verstappen’s dominance in the sport continued as he secured his fourth win of the season in China, out of the five races held so far. He has been flawless in terms of speed, with the only setback being a technical retirement in Australia. With this victory, Verstappen now leads by 25 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez in the championship standings, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc following with nine more points.
Horner praised Verstappen’s performance with the RB20, stating: «He is like a metronome. He has maintained the same pace he showed last year.» He also added: «Since the last Chinese Grand Prix, he has won half of all races and has been victorious in 21 of the last 23 races. He is in exceptional form, perfectly in tune with the car and the team, and thoroughly enjoying his races.»
After Ferrari’s strong performance in Australia and their subsequent one-two finish, there were hopes that they could challenge Red Bull in 2024. However, Red Bull’s updated RB20 car dominated the race in Suzuka, and Verstappen faced no opposition in Shanghai, finishing with a 13.7-second lead after 24 laps.
A pesar de las afirmaciones de que la dominancia de Verstappen está volviendo menos emocionante el deporte, Horner rechazó tales nociones y enfatizó que el éxito en la Fórmula 1 no es eterno. Él afirmó: «El éxito debe ser apreciado. Max es un talento extraordinario, y este es un momento de oro para él.» También agregó: «Sin embargo, como la historia nos ha demostrado, ningún piloto puede permanecer en la cima para siempre. Es importante valorar el momento y aprovecharlo al máximo.» Horner también reconoció que no hay garantías de que puedan proporcionar a Verstappen un coche del mismo calibre en los próximos años, por lo que es crucial aprovechar las oportunidades mientras existan.
