Never one to shy away from controversy, Red Bull boss, Christian Horner claims that Max Verstappen is a better driver than Lewis Hamilton.

Like many, Horner cites the fact that the seven-time world champion is driving the best car on the grid, while citing George Russell's performance in the Sakhir Grand Prix.

"Yes, I think he is the best," Horner tells Dutch website RacingNews365, "and George Russell's performance at Mercedes confirmed that for me.

"Max and Lewis stand out for me," he continued, "but although we should definitely not be blind to what Hamilton has achieved, he does have a good package at his disposal, that while Max has to get more out of his car.

"At Mercedes, a Williams driver can qualify himself directly on the front row and Russell almost won the race," said the Briton. "However, if at Red Bull someone had to get into Verstappen's car, for example if Max had corona, nobody would reach his level.

"His qualifying performances are of an exceptional level and his race craft is excellent, just like his tyre management," he said of his Dutch star, who ended the season just 9 points adrift of championship runner-up, Valtteri Bottas.

"Max has become better at 'reading' the race," he continued, "giving feedback to the team, but also dealing with disappointment, for example. He has matured very much in those areas."

Asked if the 23-year-old has reached his peak, Horner is in no doubt.

"No, I don't think so," he replied. "The others have a hard time compared to Max's performance.

"If you look at his performance in Abu Dhabi, his pole was phenomenal and then he controlled the race in a very mature way from start to finish."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Mudri, 28/01/2021 9:29

"Horner.............Max better than Lewis..........what about your previous driver than you ransacked after the first six rounds (and previously) of 2018. He is better than the the pair put together"

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2. Posted by F1 Yank, 27/01/2021 22:40

"Well, it's great to read the comments on this article. I think Max is an excellent driver and it is hard to compare HAM/VER together since I believe the Merc is and has been light years in front of the rest of the field for 5 seasons. What is interesting to me is how well Russell did in that Merc at Bahrain. Makes me think about Jacques Villenueve in the Williams or Mika Salo in the Ferrari, Alonso in a so so Ferrari or in the Renault at the time. Max has the skills, hopefully he can get in a chassis that gets him close enough to compete for the middle spot on the podium. "

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3. Posted by Max Drives Like Grandma, 27/01/2021 7:15

"I don't think so Christian! "

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4. Posted by F1RacingFan, 25/01/2021 19:26

"@Editor

Isn't he?
Look closer into his blue eyes! Are they blue?
Well, Gorgeous all except his extremely squeaky voice!

Actually I don't know why, I think this is an English reference or something, like calling some boxers Sugar-Ray?

Also, somebody called Esteban Ocon 'Sexy'!
Is he?
He's very Slim though!

Hahaha "

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5. Posted by Editor, 25/01/2021 19:03

"@ F1RacingFan

Not sure why you refer to Russell as "Gorgeous George"."

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6. Posted by F1RacingFan, 25/01/2021 18:52

"@Editor

Ok then, but Gorgeous George definitely drove the Mercedes W10 or Mercedes W?? in testing or free practice session and topped the time sheets!

My point is that the Mercedes W11 is just an evolution of the Mercedes W Series of F1 cars so George wasn't exactly a stranger to the Mercedes car when he drove the W11 in the Sakhir GP! "

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7. Posted by Editor, 25/01/2021 18:40

"@ F1RacingFan

George Russell never drove the W11 in testing."

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8. Posted by F1RacingFan, 25/01/2021 18:37

"@Spindoctor

Well said!

My first point is that George Russell isn't a rookie anymore, and he also knows the Mercedes W11 very well too, having driven it in testing and even topping the time sheets, I seem to remember!

My second point is that Christian Horner is badly wrong about Max being the fastest and best driver!
Every season, Max seems to do incredibly stupid things, and this season is no exception!
The first example is Max's stupid crash into the barriers just going to the starting grid of the Hungarian GP! That was a rookie error and it was so embarrassing to watch!

The second example is Max driving like desperate rookie madman in the Turkish GP! He was making mistakes after mistakes, and spinning like a top, and it was so embarrassing to watch as well!

Another example of Max making stupid mistakes was at the start of the Abu Dhabi GP, when Max kept his accelerator floored when there was absolutely nowhere to go and he duly crashed into the tyre wall and ruined his own race!
A beautiful example of what to do in those circumstances was expertly shown by Carlos Sainz in the Turkish GP, when he incredibly avoided a full on collision with a spinning Alex Albon! Now, that's how you it Max!

Sorry Christian, Max still have a long long way to go before he's the best or fastest driver! Maybe after Lewis Hamilton retires then! "

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9. Posted by Spindoctor, 25/01/2021 16:51

"We'll never know who is the "fastest". Outside single-car championships pure driving ability isn't necessarily reflected in results, and isn't only what the F1 Championships are about. There's a lot more to it than that.

Schumacher also won everything, year after year, in "the best car", he & it were best for a reason. Being best isn't accidental it takes a lot of dedication & hard work from a lot of people. F1's raison d'etre (Corporate jollies, flogging Motors & expensive stuff aside) is as the supposed pinnacle of motorsport, it's about pursuing excellence: being the best. Horner fails to acknowledge just how important it is and how difficult it is to put together a world-beating TEAM.

The Mercedes isn't the best car by accident. It neither fell from the sky, fully-formed, nor is its continued sucess *merely* down to the PU. Hamilton has made a substantial contribution to the car's development & its success. Not just in one season, but year-on-year. In contrast to RBR, Horner & Verstappen, Team Mercedes, including Hamilton, have developed a superb & clearly very drivable package. The depth & measure of Their & Lewis' achievement is precisely that a relative rookie (albeit a brilliantly talented one) like Russel could drive it so well with so little practice.
"

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10. Posted by The edge, 25/01/2021 9:41

"The only thing Russell’s performance proves is just how bad Redbull is at choosing drivers for its second car"

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11. Posted by The edge, 24/01/2021 20:54

"Sadly Horner has to do his taking off-track nowadays, it’s a potty because I’d love to see Merc have some competition again"

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12. Posted by CrazyF1People, 24/01/2021 3:55

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha!

Christian Horner also thinks that Donald Trump won the November Elections too!

George Russell is not just your average Williams driver and we all know that he's an exceptional talent, and so is Max, but neither of them are better or faster than Lewis Hamilton!

We all know that Horner loves to praise his drivers to make them happy!

When Lewis Hamilton is performing at his best level, as in the last 2 seasons, I believe that in the same machinery, Lewis is ultimately better and faster than Max and George and everyone else on the grid! "

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13. Posted by KKK, 23/01/2021 19:06

"If he was better than Lewis, hed be driving the Merc...."

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14. Posted by JamesD, 23/01/2021 18:31

"Wow, you need to get out more Christian and get some fresh air. You mush have a lot of CO2 hanging around in Horner Towers messing your brain up !!"

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15. Posted by Burton, 23/01/2021 14:12

"If Max were that much better than Lewis surely he would have outdriven an underperforming car into WDC contention, like Teflonso did at Ferrari?"

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Horner: Max is better than Lewis

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