Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has made a clear demand to Max Verstappen with the first race of the 2022 season just days away. The Dutchman was criticised by title rival Lewis Hamilton in the upcoming series of Drive to Survive after their explosive race for the Drivers’ Championship last year.
Verstappen prevailed after a timeless battle with the seven-time world champion, clinching his maiden crown with a dramatic final-lap overtake in Abu Dhabi.
The pair collided at Silverstone and Monza, while bumper-to-bumper action became commonplace in a tense run-in towards the back end of last year.
In as yet unseen footage, Hamilton told Netflix series Drive to Survive that his Red Bull rival is ‘aggressive as hell’ and a ‘bully’.
Nevertheless, Horner defended his star driver during a recent interview, and demanded that he continue adopting the style that brought him so much success in 2021.
We talk about any incident, but it’s always going to be between me and him,” Horner told the BBC.
“Max is a forceful driver. He’s an aggressive driver. And that driving style is why he was voted the most popular driver in Formula 1. You just know he is going to give 110%.”
When asked whether he wanted Verstappen to continue driving in a similar style, the Red Bull boss responded: “Absolutely.”
Horner then admitted that there are always things to learn, and the Dutchman may not have been on the money with every aggressive move in question while still maintaining support for the 24-year-old.
