The epic conclusion to the 2021 saga is still fresh in the memories of a lot of people. Red Bull boss Christian Horner is among those people. The British team principal joined Red Bull in 2005 and has taken the team to where it is now. While taking a trip down memory lane, Horner compared the first title of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
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The circumstances of both Vettel’s and Verstappen’s championships were similar. However, a last-race championship win stands no chance against a last-lap championship win. That is precisely how Max Verstappen won his maiden championship and produced a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
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So no extra points for guessing whose first championship he ranks higher. “Nobody could have imagined winning it on the last lap,” Horner started expressing on The Diary Of A CEO podcast. [Translated using Google]
He continued, “No one could have written that script. Nobody believed it. That’s why it was perhaps the greatest moment of my career so far. Probably we won’t get another Formula 1 season like this for the next 20 years. It was that epic.”
“I think it was the most watched sporting event of the past year and maybe the last five years,” he concluded.
DIVE DEEPER
The conclusion to the epic season was thrilling to the very end and the Red Bull boss is spot on when he says “Nobody could have written that script”. Verstappen might’ve given Christian Horner the greatest moment of his career so far. However, Horner did not completely dismiss Vettel’s championship charm.
Horner did not dismiss Sebastian Vettel talking about Max Verstappen
The moments that are produced at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix are all magical. The Hamilton-Verstappen moment might’ve taken the top spot. However, Horner did not dismiss his first-ever championship for Red Bull.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 12: Race winner and 2021 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing celebrates with Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 12, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
“The first time I won the title, I was about 35 and that was also at the last race in Abu Dhabi, against the odds with Vettel.”
“That was a unique feeling and one of the few races where Dietrich Mateschitz was present. That was very special and a big moment for the entire organization,” he admitted.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Max Verstappen and Christian Horner slam Mercedes for trying to ‘take shine off’ F1 title win after Lewis Hamilton drama
Max Verstappen might’ve produced the greatest moment in Horner’s career so far. However, the first championship will always hold a special place in his heart as well.
