Horner: "Very little to choose" between Hamilton and Verstappen
Red Bull boss Christian Horner hopes to see Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen going head-to-head on-track in the near future, believing there is currently "very little to choose between them"
Mercedes driver Hamilton extended his lead at the top of the Formula 1 drivers' championship to 37 points with a dominant victory in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
But Verstappen was able to pick up his fifth consecutive podium finish after splitting the Mercedes drivers, crossing the line in second place ahead of Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen was left satisfied with the result, saying after the race there was little more he could have hoped to achieve given the Red Bull team's pace deficit to the Mercedes cars.
Verstappen has been one of the stand-out performers through the 2020 season to date, and is the only driver outside of Mercedes to win a race after taking a surprise win in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
PLUS: The "shock" that gave Mercedes its edge back in Spain
Asked how Verstappen and Hamilton compared in their current form, Red Bull team principal Horner believed there were only fine margins separating their performances.
"They are the two in-form drivers in Formula 1," Horner said on Sky Sports F1 after the race in Barcelona.
"There is very little to choose between them.
"It's interesting, Max is 22 years of age, Lewis is 35, they're at different stages in their career.
"I'm hopeful that in the coming races, we see the two of them go head to head, because I think that's what the viewers would love to see.
"It's what the teams would love to see, and I think it would be good for Formula 1."
Verstappen had been tipped to challenge Mercedes for victory in Barcelona after impressing over the long runs in practice on Friday.
But he was unable to match Hamilton's pace in all three stints of the race, causing him to finish more than 20 seconds off the race winner at the chequered flag.
Horner was nevertheless delighted with Verstappen's result after the Dutchman soundly beat Bottas, having passed the Mercedes driver at the start.
"That was the absolute maximum we could have achieved today," Horner said.
"Max has got everything he can out of the car. To split the Mercedes who had a quicker car than us today, we couldn't have got more than that.
"[I'm] satisfied with Max's drive, and the guys have done an incredible job in the pitlane today. Three of the fastest pitstops, that was all that was them."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
Hamilton: Norris would have been better off conceding in Turn 1
Hamilton expects to lose positions if F1 China sprint is dry
The status factor that made Ferrari impossible for Hamilton to turn down
Norris had no reason to apologise for China F1 sprint showing, says McLaren
Supercars New Zealand: Heimgartner splashes to Taupo opener victory
Hamilton: Norris would have been better off conceding in Turn 1
Leclerc: Sainz “over the limit” with defence in F1 Chinese GP sprint race
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments