Christian Horner has made his drivers’ New Year resolutions on their behalves, as F1 2024 looms just around the corner.
Heading into 2024 with the slate wiped clean after the most dominant year an F1 team has ever produced, Christian Horner has outlined the resolutions he wants his drivers to make for the new season.
Appearing on the Sky F1 podcast after the season end in Abu Dhabi, the Red Bull team boss came up with ways he wants his drivers to improve during the F1 2024 season.
resolution did Christian Horner make for Max Verstappen?
Unsurprisingly, given Verstappen’s impeccable season in 2023, Horner was unable to offer much by way of advice for the Dutch driver to find areas of improvement.
“Very little,” he laughed.
With Verstappen only finishing off the podium once – in Singapore – and finishing second in two of the three races he didn’t win, Horner said there really isn’t anything that Verstappen could do to impress him more.
“I mean, there are only three races he could have done better but that was beyond his control – most of them!” he said.
“What an unbelievable year, he’s just been absolutely incredible. So it’s impossible to fault, the season that he’s had.”
Summing up the resolution he is making on Verstappen’s behalf, Horner beamed: “Just keep doing what you’re doing!”
Sergio Perez’s New Years’ resolution laid out by Christian Horner
Moving across to Sergio Perez, who is entering the final year of his current Red Bull deal, Horner reiterated the area of improvement he’s outlined for Perez to dig deep for 2024.
“I think his biggest resolution will be to sort his qualifying out,” Horner said.
“That’s been his Achilles’ heel at certain points this year. If he can do that, then his race pace is always strong – he races very well.
“So we need him qualifying there at the front, nearer to Max, and putting more pressure on. We can’t afford for him to go missing at certain points of the championship and have that (in)consistency.
“He finished second this year, third last year, fourth the year before – so he’s on the right trajectory!”
Asked whether it’s difficult to create a car that suits the driving requirements of two differing driving styles like Verstappen’s and Perez’s, Horner said it’s down to the drivers to find out how best to exploit the machinery they are given.
“They are different but we just develop the fastest car that we can,” he said.
“It’s [down to] the drivers extracting, adapting, and getting the most out of it. Simple as that.
“We’re not developing in one route or another, we develop a car to be the most competitive car that we can.
“Then, of course, it’s down to the drivers to what can they extract out of it and how they adjust their style and nuances accordingly.”
