Horner: "Verstappen has upped his game"

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has praised his driver Max Verstappen, claiming the Dutchman "upped his game" in 2017. The 20-year-old completed his first full season with the energy drink team, sealing two wins and a further two podiums.

The young superstar also out-performed teammate Daniel Ricciardo in qualifying throughout the season, getting the better of him on 13 occasions out of 20. Horner insists that the margins between the pair are very small, which is positive for the team.

"Max has really upped his game, particularly on Saturday and Daniel has had to stick with it to go shoulder to shoulder with him," Horner told Autosport. "The margins between the two are often very small, which is exactly what you want. 

"They have both raced incredibly well," he added. "As a driver pairing, it's a great pairing to be working with. Fundamentally, there is a respect between the two of them. They get on, they respect each other. They are rivals on track, they race hard, but they still respect they drive for a team."