Angsty Verstappen nothing to worry about

Verstappen has appeared to be quite agitated at times this season as the battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has been pretty intense throughout.

Things have not been ideal on the reliability front, with Verstappen losing podium finishes and valuable points with failures in both the Bahrain and Australian Grands Prix.

He also said the team needed to stop making weekends difficult for itself in the wake of the problems that limited his Friday running at the Miami Grand Prix.

His father Jos Verstappen suggested afterwards that he could fully understand why his son was a ‘bit irritable’ about things.

But while there have been potential signs of tension in public, Horner says the relations between Verstappen and its driver are strong, and any clashes are down to a heat of the moment desire to win.

“We’re a team, we’re all in it together,” said Horner, when asked about the pressure Verstappen was putting on the team.

“We’re pushing him and he’s pushing us as a team dynamic. I don’t think we ever expected after last year, when it went to the last race, to be so competitive so early this season.”

Horner has praised the way that Verstappen is driving, and thinks he has simply carried over the form that took him to the world title in 2021.

“I think he’s driving with great maturity and he’s doing a really super job,” said Horner. “Last year Max was driving at an incredible level and this year he’s just continued.”

But despite Verstappen’s strong start, and the way Red Bull has stepped up its game since introducing some car upgrades at the Emilia Romagna GP, Horner says there remains little to choose between the top two cars.

“I think they are very closely matched,” he said. “I think it’s just trying to piece together the best race that you can.

“There’s a long way to go. And I…