Horner: Mercedes jibes won’t ‘detract’ from Verstappen success

Christian Horner has asserted that Max Verstappen's historic run of form in Formula 1 shouldn't be overshadowed by comments from rival teams.

At the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, Verstappen took his 10th race win in a row, setting a new record.

Additionally, Red Bull is also enduring an unprecedented level of F1 dominance, as the win at Monza was its 15th consecutive victory - further extending its own record.

However, following Verstappen's win, Toto Wolff played down his achievement, stating that the record was only “for Wikipedia”.

Wolff's comment followed Lewis Hamilton's claim from earlier in the week that Verstappen hasn't faced the same level of competition as he has within a team.

Horner brushes off Mercedes' comments

Red Bull and Mercedes shared an intense rivalry during the 2021 season, when Verstappen and Hamilton went head-to-head for the title.

However, tensions have cooled over the last 18 months, with Mercedes slipping down the pecking order and being unable to consistently compete for race wins.

When asked if he thinks Mercedes wants to take some shine off Red Bull's achievements, Horner stated that Verstappen's accomplishments shouldn't be downplayed.

“I think you have to recognize and applaud what Max is doing at the moment,” he told media including RacingNews365.

“It is very special to achieve what is to achieve what he's achieved.

“I think that we shouldn't detract from that in any way.

“In sport, very rarely things like this happen. And I think it's a golden moment for him and certainly a golden moment for the team.”