Red Bull boss Christian Horner has described the impact made by the next generation of drivers as “great for Formula 1”.
The past two races have seen the first skirmishes between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, in what may well be the duel that replaces the current Lewis Hamilton/Sebastian Vettel era of F1.
However, while Horner began with those two drivers, his praise wasn’t limited to them as he called out all of this year’s rookies.
“It’s great for F1,” Horner said to BBC Sport.
“You can never stop time and it’s clear to see some great talent emerging in Formula 1 at the moment – with Max having established himself, Leclerc is doing a great job.
“Lando Norris has done a good job in a McLaren this year. I’m sure George Russell is right there but the equipment [at Williams] doesn’t allow him to show that.
“F1 can be excited about the potential of those guys. But it’s also great to see the young guns go up against the established guys as well – the Hamiltons and the Vettels.
“We have a great period in time where you just hope equipment allows those guys to race hard and competitively with each other.”
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The other member of the F2 trio to step up was Alex Albon, who earned a seat at Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso.
And while he may not have had the same profile as Leclerc, Russell or Norris when he stepped up, Horner also sees plenty of potential.
“He’s raw and he needs time, but he’s genuinely doing a pretty decent job in his rookie season,” he concluded.