Christian Horner feels Max Verstappen does not get the recognition he deserves despite his back-to-back Formula 1 titles.
The Dutchman has been in a class of his own this season, securing the drivers' title with four races left on the schedule, so large is his lead over his nearest competitors. And he has won the two Grands Prix since as well, underlining his desire to continue dominating even though there is nothing left to play for in the championship.
Verstappen's victory in Mexico City at the weekend was his 14th of the season, setting a new F1 record. He also set a new standards for the most points ever scored in a single campaign with 416, and that number looks likely to grow further before the curtain comes down on the 2022 season.
Despite that remarkable success, he remains a divisive figure since his 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton, while Red Bull's cost cap controversy has also not helped. And team principal Horner feels it is a little unfair that the 25-year-old is not always as celebrated as he might be.
"We are actually witnessing something very special. And I sometimes think that his achievements perhaps don't receive the plaudits that they should," he told reporters after the race in Mexico. "I think actually what we've witnessed this year is an absolutely outstanding performance from a driver who is very much at the top of his game.
"He's won the most Grands Prix in a year now, within 20 races, on top of that he's won two sprint races and he's not won all of them from pole position. He's had to fight and race for a lot of those victories.
"When we look back at the end of the year, it is an absolutely outstanding year that Max has driven. He hasn't put a wheel wrong, he's been perfect throughout the season. It's been incredible, the level of consistency that he has been able to achieve."
Horner's comments came on a weekend which saw Red Bull decide to avoid interviews with Sky Sports over comments, made over a period of time, that they felt showed bias against them. The final straw was a comment from pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz, who suggested Hamilton had been "robbed" of the 2021 title which Verstappen won.
Explaining the decision, Horner said: "We're disappointed with a series of derogatory comments that have been made on Sky, so we felt this weekend we would take a break... Accusations of a championship being 'robbed', that's not something we feel is impartial commentary. Obviously, we don't feel that is in any way fair or balanced."
