Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner predicts Max Verstappen is likely to get stronger after taking his maiden Grand Prix win.
Verstappen, who replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull, won the Spanish Grand Prix on his first outing for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Verstappen’s victory was the first for a Dutch driver in the sport and Red Bull’s first since Spa 2014; Horner believes the 18-year-old’s will thrive as he gets more experience with the RB12.
“To come in and qualify on the second row and then win in your first grand prix [with a new team], it can only get worse,” he said.
“But I suspect he will only get stronger and, as he gets more experience, and more familiar with the car, his confidence will grow.
“I said it before the weekend, but I really believe we have got the strongest pairing of drivers in Formula 1 now. I think Spain demonstrates that.”
Horner is adamant Red Bull’s current position is better than they expected, he added that the second half of 2016 was where they were predicting a surge in performance.
“To see the two Red Bull cars running at the front, I think it demonstrates that we really have got an awesome driver pairing and we are in a position which is far stronger than we could have imagined,” Horner added.
“We felt that the second half of the season would be stronger than the first. But we were on the podium in China, we’ve won a grand prix here in Barcelona after five races.
“I would never have even dreamed of that pre-season.”
