Horner explains why Verstappen's style troubles Red Bull team-mates

Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that Max Verstappen's demanding driving style has contributed to the difficulties faced by his team-mates. Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Horner described Verstappen's skill as abnormal and said he demands a highly responsive front end from the car.

Horner explained that Verstappen can cope with a loose rear end while pursuing that front-end response, which sits at the extreme end of the set-up spectrum. Because his performance ceiling is so high with this set-up, Red Bull's engineering, tools and development focus followed his feedback, creating a characteristic that others found difficult to handle.

Horner said team-mates who prefer a more traditional, predictable balance have therefore often been left with a car they struggle to trust. He added that a driver in the second Red Bull is effectively fighting a machine engineered against their natural driving preferences.