Christian Horner says victory in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix marked a ‘historic moment’ in the history of Oracle Red Bull Racing, as it brought a twelfth consecutive victory in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, breaking the record set by the McLaren F1 Team in 1988.
Horner, the Team Principal of the Milton Keynes-based team, admitted watching Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost claim the opening eleven victories in the 1988 season in the all-dominant MP4/4, and to better than record this year with Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez and the RB19 showcases the ‘exceptional talent and dedication’ of everyone at Red Bull.
“I remember as a boy, watching Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost race with McLaren-Honda and they achieved eleven consecutive victories,” said Horner. “I knew then what an incredible achievement that was.
“To think that we have bettered that is testament to the exceptional talent and dedication of the team, from the race track here in Budapest and back at the factory in Milton Keynes. It’s an historic moment and one that means so much, we certainly don’t take this for granted.”
Horner was full of praise for both of his drivers at the Hungaroring, with Pérez climbing from ninth on the grid to finish third with some decisive overtakes, while Verstappen was able to claim a seventh consecutive victory having jumped polesitter Lewis Hamilton at turn one on lap one.
The Team Principal feels it is ‘exceptional’ to be witnessing a driver at the very top of his game, with Verstappen currently in a run of thirty consecutive races of finishing inside the points, with only three of those races off the podium.
“Checo drove a great race today. It was a statement drive, showing everyone exactly what he’s capable of and a race like this will give him a huge amount of confidence going into the next race,” Horner added.
“Max was typically phenomenal once again. He’s at one with himself and the car. He has total confidence and trust in the team. What we’re witnessing with him at the moment is a sportsman at the very top of his game.
“It truly is exceptional.”