CHRISTIAN HORNER SNAPS AT MAX VERSTAPPEN CLAIM AFTER LANDO NORRIS ACCUSATION

Christian Horner insists his Red Bull team is not "boring" Formula 1 fans - after Lando Norris said the sport is in danger of becoming dull.

Max Verstappen currently has a vice-like grip on the sport, armed with the quickest car on the grid by far. He has won four of the five Grands Prix held so far this year - denied a clean sweep only by a mechanical issue which meant he failed to finish in Melbourne last month.

And his longer-term record is even more imperious. Verstappen boasts 21 victories from the last 23 Grands Prix held and is already well on the way to being crowned a four-time world champion by the end of this year.

Norris, who finished second behind Verstappen in Shanghai on Sunday, expressed a fear that the lack of competition at the top could turn off fans. "It is frustrating for people watching but it has always been like this," said the McLaren star.

"Now, we are seeing more dominance than ever, so it is never going to be the best to watch and the only exciting races have been the ones that Max is not in. Of course it is going be [a turn off for fans] - there is no way you can say it won't be.

"If you see the same driver winning every single time without a fight then of course it does start to become boring and that is obvious. You have got one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1, in one of the most dominant cars and it is a combination that is deadly. If Max wasn't there and you had two Perezs it wouldn't be the case."

Those comments were put to Red Bull team principal Horner after the race. And, in response, the 50-year-old said he instead prefers to see Verstappen's dominance as a "golden moment" in F1 history and insisted what the Dutchman is doing is special, not dull.

He said: "You have to appreciate success. Max is a special talent and this is a golden moment for him. As we have seen with every single driver in the past, it doesn't last forever. It is about enjoying the moment and being in the moment and there are no guarantees we can give him a car like this for the next five years.

"Max is just a metronome. The pace he showed last year, he has continued that through. And since the last Chinese Grand Prix in 2019, he has won 50 per cent of all the races. He has won 21 out of the last 23 races. He is in fantastic form, at one with the car and the team and enjoying his racing."

Norris did admit that a rule change to curb Red Bull's advantage is out of the question, adding: "They just do a better job and I don't know how much you can limit that. It is also what makes Formula 1 so special and so cool and unique because everyone does their own thing.

"If everyone had the same car you would lose half of the fans and you would lose the specialness of what Formula 1 is which is everyone coming up with their own ideas. It is just so complicated so maybe we need to make it more simple by opening up or closing the regulations. Both could work, I guess."

2024-04-23T15:36:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd