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Christian Horner labels Max Verstappen as 'racing machine' after the Dutchman won two races over a single weekend at Imola

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated 5/20/24

Max Verstappen had a hectic schedule during the Emilia Romagna GP. The reigning world champion was not only racing in Formula 1, but even competing in the Virtual 24 Hours of Nurburgring. The Red Bull driver emerged victorious in both races. Now, Christian Horner has praised the reigning world champion for his successful weekend.

Horner labeled Verstappen as a ‘racing machine.’ The Red Bull team boss highlighted that the Dutch driver often spends hours testing different car setups. As such, Max Verstappen‘s virtual race on iRacing did not exhaust him before the Emilia Romagna GP.

He [Max Verstappen] is basically a racing machine, so it is quite often he is testing different set-ups in the evening and this kind of thing, so it is not unusual for him to be doing that. Christian Horner said, as reported by Autosport

Christian Horner highlighted the reigning world champion’s two race victories, one in the RB20 and the other in a virtual BMW M3. Moreover, the Briton claimed that Max Verstappen really had to push himself to the limit to take pole at Imola. Horner even praised the Dutch driver for a masterclass drive in the main race.

He has won two races today. One in a BMW M3 and one in a Formula 1 car. You heard what it meant to him. [For] the pole position yesterday, he really had to dig very deep and the performance again today was a masterclass. Christian Horner stated

Max Verstappen credits Red Bull’s Milton Keynes base for Emilia Romagna GP

Max Verstappen had a terrible outing on Friday at Imola. The reigning world champion struggled with upgrades brought by Red Bull. However, the Austrian team turned things around by Qualifying with the Dutch driver taking his fifth win of the season. After the race, Verstappen acknowledged that this could not have been possible without the entire crew.

The Dutch driver claimed that one must never underestimate the team members back at the factory, including simulator drivers. Max Verstappen believed that the sim drivers and the people back at Milton Keynes deserved the credit for his Emilia Romagna GP win. Former F1 driver and Formula E champion Sebastian Buemi is currently Red Bull’s primary sim driver.

That is where you must never underestimate the support that comes from the broader team in the factory, the simulator drivers and credit where credit is due, the essence of the team is being able to respond when things aren’t going well and we managed to turn it around. Max Verstappen said, as reported by Autosport

Certainly, Max Verstappen was delighted to overcome a difficult weekend. However, it is clear that pressure is now on the reigning world champions. Red Bull will be looking to ensure that the new upgrades work as desired in the next round in Monaco. It remains to be seen if Verstappen can win in streets of Monte Carlo this year.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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