Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has set the record straight on what he says was a misquoted comment on Max Verstappen in comparison to Sebastian Vettel.
On Thursday, Autobild published an interview in which the Briton reportedly claimed the Dutchman “has more talent” than the four-time world champion now with Ferrari.
However, speaking to Sky Sports on Friday, Horner said his pronunciation was a little different.
“The problem with doing interviews in German, not that I speak German, is that they get misconstrued,” he stated.
“So that was one of those scenarios where I quite clearly said that Max has ‘raw talent’, raw with an ‘r’, and that got translated as more with an ‘m’.”
On the topic of which was better, the Red Bull chief who led Vettel to his success from 2010-2013 believed it was tough to call.
“They are different drivers. Sebastian, with what he has achieved, is phenomenal, and I stick by that comment with Max, his raw talent absolutely obvious,” he said.
“I think we are starting to see the experience come alongside that now. He has been in great form the last four or five races.”
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Something that has been rumbling under the surface is a back and forth between Verstappen and Renault, with the 21-year-old’s latest remark describing ambitions for improvement with a new engine for 2019 as the “same old song”.
“I don’t think Max is going to be top of Cyril Abiteboul’s Christmas card list,” Horner commented.
“I’m probably not at the top of it either. Max is just brutally honest and he will give you a direct answer.
“We’re not with Renault next year so what they are up to is their business and we are very much focused on our own future.”
