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Christian Horner details what makes ‘mega talent’ Max Verstappen so special
Max Verstappen must be considered among the greatest drivers in Formula One history, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said, following the Dutchman’s landmark win at the Canadian Grand Prix. Verstappen’s emphatic lights-to-flag victory on Sunday was the 41st of his career, putting him level with triple world champion Ayrton Senna. Only Lewis Hamilton (103 victories), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) have won more races than Verstappen, who is still only 25. Verstappen, who started from pole in Montreal following a fine display in Saturday’s wet-dry-wet qualifying session, has triumphed at six of the opening eight rounds this year to open up a commanding 69-point championship lead. Fernando Alonso finished second for Aston Martin with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton third. “What we are witnessing with Max is the emergence of another mega talent,” said Horner. “You can start talking about him in the same sentence as the greats now after he matched Ayrton Senna. “I thought the podium today was very apt actually, in terms of the last couple of decades of Formula One, with Max, Fernando and Lewis up there. “Max just keeps delivering at such a high level. The race was fantastic but to take pole position in conditions that were continually changing, and his ability to adapt to whatever grip level he had, was Max at his best.” Verstappen has won four consecutive races and 15 of the last 19 in F1. Red Bull also remain unbeaten this year, and there remains a distinct possibility that the team from Milton Keynes could make history by winning every race in a single campaign. Hamilton recorded his second consecutive podium finish in his revamped Mercedes machine, but despite the Silver Arrows’ upturn in form, and with 14 rounds still remaining, the seven-time world champion believes Red Bull could complete a perfect campaign. “I know what I am faced with and there is nothing I can do about Red Bull’s amazing performance,” said Hamilton. “It is likely that they will win every race this year unless the Aston Martins and us can provide a lot more performance or if their car doesn’t finish. “It is not a frustration. We have got work to do and I am happy to be back in the mix and I am just hoping that at some stage we are level so we can get back to some of the good races we had in 2021.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen aims to ‘keep winning’ after matching Ayrton Senna’s 41 victories Max Verstappen claims pole position during rain-hit qualifying for Canadian GP Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian Grand Prix finally gets started
2023-06-19 20:57
‘Mega talent’ Max Verstappen now among Formula One greats – Christian Horner
Max Verstappen must be considered among the greatest drivers in Formula One history, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said, following the Dutchman’s landmark win at the Canadian Grand Prix. Verstappen’s emphatic lights-to-flag victory on Sunday was the 41st of his career, putting him level with triple world champion Ayrton Senna. Only Lewis Hamilton (103 victories), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) have won more races than Verstappen, who is still only 25. Verstappen, who started from pole in Montreal following a fine display in Saturday’s wet-dry-wet qualifying session, has triumphed at six of the opening eight rounds this year to open up a commanding 69-point championship lead. Fernando Alonso finished second for Aston Martin with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton third. “What we are witnessing with Max is the emergence of another mega talent,” said Horner. “You can start talking about him in the same sentence as the greats now after he matched Ayrton Senna. “I thought the podium today was very apt actually, in terms of the last couple of decades of Formula One, with Max, Fernando and Lewis up there. “Max just keeps delivering at such a high level. The race was fantastic but to take pole position in conditions that were continually changing, and his ability to adapt to whatever grip level he had, was Max at his best.” Verstappen has won four consecutive races and 15 of the last 19 in F1. Red Bull also remain unbeaten this year, and there remains a distinct possibility that the team from Milton Keynes could make history by winning every race in a single campaign. Hamilton recorded his second consecutive podium finish in his revamped Mercedes machine, but despite the Silver Arrows’ upturn in form, and with 14 rounds still remaining, the seven-time world champion believes Red Bull could complete a perfect campaign. “I know what I am faced with and there is nothing I can do about Red Bull’s amazing performance,” said Hamilton. “It is likely that they will win every race this year unless the Aston Martins and us can provide a lot more performance or if their car doesn’t finish. “It is not a frustration. We have got work to do and I am happy to be back in the mix and I am just hoping that at some stage we are level so we can get back to some of the good races we had in 2021.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Horner details what makes ‘mega talent’ Verstappen so special Max Verstappen aims to ‘keep winning’ after matching Ayrton Senna’s 41 victories Max Verstappen claims pole position during rain-hit qualifying for Canadian GP
2023-06-19 20:47
Are Red Bull now the most successful F1 team ever – and how long can this dominance last?
At the moment it seems a grand prix does not go by without Red Bull – and their peerless linchpin Max Verstappen – setting milestones and breaking records. Such is their dominance in Formula 1 right now, winning 18 of the last 19 races, the double-symphony of the Dutch and Austrian national anthems on the podium is as much a regularity these days as five red lights going out to start the race. But Canada really did take the biscuit. Red Bull’s 100th race victory; Max Verstappen’s 41st grand prix win, equalling Ayrton Senna’s record; Verstappen brought up 250 consecutive laps led, dating back to Miami six weeks ago; Red Bull’s 10th consecutive victory, including Abu Dhabi at the end of last year. It was notable who was on the podium, too, celebrating Verstappen’s 20th win in his last 27 races. Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s mastermind-in-chief, who was unofficially celebrating his 200thF1 race win involvement, dating back to his first in Mexico 32 years ago. The man extolled, appropriately, with engineering the team’s latest RB missile on four wheels. By this season’s standards, Verstappen’s win in Montreal was far from a cruise. Qualifying on Saturday was tricky in wet-dry-wet conditions. But Max prevailed. An early safety car bunched the pack up on Sunday. But Max prevailed. Tyre wear was an issue in the cockpit with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton chasing; not on the pit wall who again oozed perfectibility. Again, Max prevailed. No 100 is a significant landmark for the team. An “incredible achievement”, as Christian Horner put it, becoming the fifth team to reach such a figure. When he spearheaded Red Bull’s involvement by taking over Jaguar in 2004, surely even he could not have forecasted such periods of dominance, up against the historic titans of world motorsport. Red Bull have won 28.1% of all the races they’ve entered in the sport as they hit a century. By way of comparison, Ferrari have won 242 races in 1060 – a hit-rate of 22.8%. McLaren’s is lower at 19.6%; Williams’ fewer still at 14.4%. But Mercedes at 44.8% beat the lot. Such was their near-decade of utter dominance – eight constructors’ titles in a row from 2014-2021 – Red Bull have some way to go before their percentage hit-rate matches the Silver Arrows. Currently, the difference is 16.7%. MOST WINS IN FORMULA 1 – 100 CLUB 1) Ferrari – 242 (22.8% hit-rate) 2) McLaren – 183 (19.6% hit-rate) 3) Mercedes – 125 (44.8% hit-rate) 4) Williams – 114 (14.4% hit-rate) 5) Red Bull – 100 (28.1% hit-rate) There are contentious points. For example, included in Mercedes’ tally is the nine wins from 1954-55, technically a different entity to the current works team. Yet on the whole, the difference is stark. But not insurmountable. It’s important to note this with caution. Predicting dynasties in sport is always a dangerous game: jump the gun on a Formula 1 forecast and the usual unpredictability of natural drama and human emotion can come back to bite you. Ferrari, for instance, have won just one drivers’ title in 16 years since their five-on-the-spin with Michael Schumacher in the early noughties. However, the outlook is particularly shiny at Milton Keynes. Red Bull have unequivocally nailed the current “ground-effect” regulations, not least due to Newey’s expertise in the area. This year is virtually sewn-up, with focus already switching to 2024 when they will be the heavy favourites once more. The next phase of regulations are not enforced until 2026. By that point, with Newey having recently signed an extension to stay, Red Bull could have secured another three world titles. It could be another 50 or so wins by that point, such is the current trajectory. And from then, the launch of their own powertrains division comes to fruition, with American giant Ford as a partner. In the constantly-shifting arms race that is Formula 1, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Ferrari and the rest – including new teams such as Audi – may well have something to say about that. Indeed, Red Bull have recently lost a key figure in engineer Rob Marshall, who joins McLaren next year. Dan Fallows similarly joined Aston Martin last year. Newey’s omnipresence is the unignorable advantage. Yet as the sun set in Canada on another victory, did the 64-year-old give Red Bull a scare? And the rest of the paddock a glimmer of hope? “My career can’t go on forever,” he said, post-podium. “As long as the team wants me and I keep enjoying it I’ll keep going. “But realistically it’s on a countdown.” When that time will be, only he knows. What is not in question, however, is the absolute supremacy of this current Red Bull machine. From top-to-bottom, they now set the benchmark. The statistics of the past allude to that; the projection for the future indicate there could be plenty more to come. Read More Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix to match F1 legend in race wins Red Bull mastermind Adrian Newey hints at retirement: ‘It’s on a countdown’ Lando Norris angry at penalty which cost him points in Canadian Grand Prix ‘It’s on a countdown’: Red Bull mastermind Adrian Newey hints at retirement F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates and lap times from Montreal
2023-06-19 14:58
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Max Verstappen aims to ‘keep winning’ after matching Ayrton Senna’s 41 victories
Max Verstappen completed another crushing performance in Canada on Sunday to match Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 victories – and then promised to keep the good times rolling. A day after taking pole position in the wet, Verstappen reigned supreme in the dry at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to beat Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton and move into joint fifth in the pantheon of Formula One winners. Even an early collision with a bird could not stop the flying Dutchman, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealing that his star driver completed the majority of Sunday’s 70-lap race with part of the animal lodged in his brake duct. Verstappen will not celebrate his 26th birthday until September, but his sixth victory from the opening eight fixtures of the year leaves only Hamilton (103), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him in the record books. “When I was a little kid driving go karts, I was dreaming about being an F1 driver and I would never had imagined I would win 41 grands prix,” said Verstappen, who also notched up Red Bull’s 100th victory in the sport. “To tie with Ayrton is incredible and I am proud of that but I hope it doesn’t stop here. I hope we keep on winning more races. “It is also a great achievement for the team. We knew this was the first opportunity to win 100 races. I am happy that is done, but I hope we will win more than 100 so the new target is 200.” Remarkably, Verstappen has won 15 of the last 19 races in F1, with Red Bull failing to taste victory on just one occasion in that streak. Red Bull could yet become the first team to win every race in a single season. And with Verstappen at the wheel – rather than team-mate Sergio Perez who finished only sixth on another trying weekend for the Mexican – they have every chance. Verstappen’s triumph – his fourth in succession – was all but sealed on the short dash to the opening chicane after he fended off a slow-starting Alonso. Hamilton, who gazumped Alonso, set his sights on Verstappen’s Red Bull gearbox, but by the end of the opening lap, the seven-time world champion was eight tenths back – and when a virtual safety car was deployed on lap eight after Logan Sargeant broke down in his Williams, the gap was the best part of three seconds. With Verstappen racing off into the distance, Alonso was the filling in a Mercedes’ sandwich. But that changed on lap 12 when George Russell slammed into the wall on the exit of Turn 9. Russell’s front wing snapped in half, while his right-rear tyre dangled off his Mercedes. With debris littering the circuit, the safety car came out and the main players stopped for new tyres as Russell pulled in for repairs. After changing all four tyres, Hamilton was released into Alonso’s path. Alonso said he had to slam on the anchors to avoid running into the back of the Mercedes man, and the flashpoint was duly noted by the stewards, and latterly investigated, but the British driver would escape without punishment. The safety car came in five laps later and Verstappen executed a fine getaway to leave Hamilton trailing. Indeed, after the opening two turns, he was already one second up the road. Rather than looking ahead, Hamilton’s attention was occupied by Alonso behind. And on lap 22, the Spaniard dived past Hamilton with a fine move at the final chicane. Hamilton had a nibble back at Alonso as they raced to the opening corner, but the evergreen Spaniard held his nerve to keep the Mercedes man behind. Russell raced back from last to eighth before he was forced to park a Mercedes riddled with excessive brake wear with 15 laps remaining. Verstappen took the chequered flag 9.5 sec clear of Alonso. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth respectively for Ferrari. Alex Albon crossed the line a commendable seventh in his Williams. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen claims pole position during rain-hit qualifying for Canadian GP Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian Grand Prix finally gets started Max Verstappen closes in on ‘amazing achievement’ of matching Ayrton Senna
2023-06-19 06:50
Red Bull mastermind Adrian Newey hints at retirement: ‘It’s on a countdown’
Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey has hinted at retirement in the near-future after the team clinched their 100th grand prix victory in F1. Max Verstappen won his third race in a row – his 41st in total, tying him with Ayrton Senna – in Canada on Sunday, seeing off the threat from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull have now won all nine races this season as well as bringing up their all-time century. Newey, who has been at Red Bull since 2006, was also celebrating his 200th personal win in over 30 years in the sport. The 64-year-old has largely been praised with Red Bull’s latest runaway design but admitted after the race in Montreal that his career is now “on a countdown.” “I’m lucky enough to be doing what I’ve always wanted to do, loved it,” he told Sky F1. “My career can’t go on forever. As long as the team wants me and I keep enjoying it I’ll keep going, but realistically it’s on a countdown.” Newey first made his name in McLaren’s title-winning cars of the 1990s before being lured to join the Red Bull project by Christian Horner. It was reported recently, too, that he has signed an extension to his current contract with the Milton Keynes-based outfit. “It’s been an amazing journey,” he added. “My dream as a kid was to be an engineer in motor racing. “First job and first salary was the big moment, everything else is a bonus. “All the wins are special. First win in Mexico [1991] stands out. The ones where the championship has gone down to the wire - very often Abu Dhabi, with Sebastian [Vettel] against Fernando [Alonso], and then Max against Lewis [Hamilton].” Verstappen now has a 69-point lead in the world championship to team-mate Sergio Perez, while Red Bull have an astonishing 154-point lead in the Constructors’ Championship to Mercedes. Read More Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix to match F1 legend in race wins Lewis Hamilton ‘excited’ to share Canada podium with two world champions F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates and lap times from Montreal Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian GP finally starts Canadian Grand Prix practice descends into farce after bizarre CCTV blackout
2023-06-19 05:59
Lando Norris angry at penalty which cost him points in Canada: ‘It does not make sense’
Lando Norris was left perplexed at the penalty which cost him points at the Canadian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver, who started seventh on the grid, was grappling for positions towards the bottom of the top-10 throughout the race which was won by Max Verstappen. However, his efforts were scuppered by a five-second time penalty dished out by the stewards for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” The penalty was later explained to be for Norris driving too slowly during the safety car period, in order for his McLaren team to “double-stack” Oscar Piastri and Norris in the pit-window without delay. “It doesn’t make sense to me,” Norris said, when asked about the penalty after the race, which dropped him from ninth at the chequered flag to outside the points in 13th. “I was three or four seconds down… I’m quite surprised. The rest of the race I was very happy with. There were some fun overtakes. “Everyone leaves gaps [in safety car period]. It’s not like I was 10 seconds down on my delta. If it’s a delta-difference, people should be given penalties for the last three or four years.” Despite missing out on two points, Norris admitted he enjoyed vying for positions throughout the race, including a thrilling last-lap battle with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. “It was always about making the most of one opportunity I had,” he added. “It was a struggle, nothing was easy. Tough race, still managed to fight through which was nice. “The pace was a bit better than the last few weekends. Hopefully we can take some step forwards next time out.” Norris is currently 11th in the championship standings on 12 points, seven clear of team-mate Piastri. McLaren’s scoreless race in Montreal means the team still haven’t picked up points in Canada since 2014 – a streak of seven Canadian GP races without a top-10 finish. Read More Red Bull mastermind Adrian Newey hints at retirement: ‘It’s on a countdown’ Lewis Hamilton ‘excited’ to share Canada podium with two world champions Max Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix to match F1 legend in race wins ‘It’s on a countdown’: Red Bull mastermind Adrian Newey hints at retirement F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates and lap times from Montreal Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian GP finally starts
2023-06-19 05:47