Horner lauds Verstappen attitude as he eyes Red Bull comeback

Christian Horner has praised Max Verstappen's attitude during Red Bull's recent struggles, but he is confident the team can make a comeback in the final eight races.

Verstappen saw his lead cut at the top of the drivers' championship to 62 points by McLaren's Lando Norris in Monza, with Charles Leclerc also closing the gap.

The Dutchman has now gone five Grand Prix's without a pole position, his worst streak since the sixth race of the 2021 season (five).

He has also failed to emerge victorious in his last six Grand Prix's, with the last time he stood on the top step being at Barcelona in June.

“What’s really impressed me with Max is how he’s really engaged in this process,” said Horner.

“He’s not panicking, he’s working with the engineers, he’s explaining very clearly where the issues are, he’s putting the time and effort in.

“He was in early this morning, he was on Zoom calls last week, he’ll be on the simulator before the next race, and he’s really working hard at this.

"I think he’s shown great maturity as a world champion, the way he’s working with the engineering group.

“Nobody likes the situation we’re in at the moment, nobody’s happy with it and we’ve got to work really hard to turn it around.

"But the one thing this team has is strength and depth in talent, and we’ll come back.”

Ollie to drive at the #AzerbaijanGP Ollie will step in to the VF-24 alongside Nico for the weekend, following Kevin’s one-race suspension in Baku. #HaasF1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/7euWB0C8h5

— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) September 6, 2024

Red Bull's struggles have also seen their advantage at the top of the constructors' standings evaporate, and are now only eight points clear of McLaren, with Ferrari 39 points off the pace.

But a return to action next weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix offers the team a chance to bridge the gap to those below them.

Only one driver has achieved more than one victory on the streets of Baku, with that man being Verstappen's team-mate, Sergio Perez, who won in 2021 and 2023.

The Mexican has scored the most points on the circuit (100), with only a Lewis Hamilton victory and fastest lap being enough to overtake the Red Bull driver (75).

But Perez has now gone 10 consecutive Grands Prix without finishing in the top five of the standings, the same number of times as in his previous 41 races in Formula 1.

However, Horner is optimistic that solutions can be put in place prior to the upcoming double header of Azerbaijan and Singapore.

“The most important thing is understanding the issue, and I think there are certain fixes that potentially can be introduced, perhaps not the resolve the whole issue but address some of it,” Horner said.

“I think we have a two-week period before Baku and Singapore and then we have another mini-break where we can work in-between Singapore and Austin, so this time now is crucial.”