Former Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner has stayed loyal to Max Verstappen when faced with a much-debated question ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

Horner remains firm that Verstappen is the best driver in modern F1, even in a hypothetical scenario.

Christian Horner delivers snap F1 verdict

Although the drivers are the most public-facing personalities, F1 is a team sport, with each constructor developing its own machinery.

As has always been the case, this means that drivers are not only separated by raw talent, but by the limitations of their cars.

Take George Russell as a prime example.

The Briton entered Formula 1 on the back of his 2018 Formula 2 Championship success, joining Williams.

He spent his time with the Grove team running as a backmarker before being called on to replace the Covid-struck Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Russell, who had not scored a single F1 world championship point before that Sunday, came agonisingly close to securing a memorable victory on his Mercedes debut.

In the junior ranks, and in various top-level categories such as IndyCar and Super Formula, the chassis that the drivers use are identical. In the two specific examples mentioned, different engine options are available, but in the lower categories, even this variable is often removed.

This leaves drivers able to showcase their talents, with only the car setup to play with.

A constant topic of discussion in F1 centres around which driver would come out on top if equal machinery were on offer.

For Horner, though, there is a very simple answer.

“Max,” Horner told TalkSport, without hesitation.

“He’s a generational talent, and I’d be pretty confident to back that.”

Asked how it’s possible to compare drivers across different generations, even those who race together currently such as Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and 2026 champion-elect, Kimi Antonelli, Horner conceded: “It’s impossible.

“It’s only over a period of time that you’ll see how they evolve and develop. For me, Max was the most impressive talent I ever saw in a car and certainly ever worked with.

“It was clear, very clear from a very early age, and from the first time he stepped in a Grand Prix car, he stood out.

“He came to us at such a young age, a teenager basically, and just evolved and grew and grew.

“He’s just a phenomenal driver, and Formula One’s very lucky to have the talent across these different sort of age ranges, from Lewis as almost the elder statesman, and now you’ve got Max probably at his prime, and obviously a Kimi emerging that’s so young.”
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