Horner confirms 'privileges' offered to Verstappen in Hamilton comparison

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner hinted at "privileges"offered to Max Verstappen within the team due to his success inFormula 1. Verstappen enjoyed a dominant run of victories in 2023having taken 19 victories out of 22 races, taking his third titlein the process. He outclassed his teammate Sergio Perez who onlymanaged two victories in the RB19, leading to rumours over whetherthe team would replace him in the near future. Horner discussed thetheir spat on track during the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, in whichVerstappen refused to let Perez past to preserve a potential 1-2 inthe Drivers' Championship. In hindsight, Horner believes thetension should have been cleared beforehand instead of assumingthat Verstappen would follow the team order. Horner: There's noroom for a prima donna Discussing whether some drivers can get awaywith things compared to others, Horner agreed that "certainprivileges" are offered to those who bring in the results on trackand drew comparison to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. "It's inevitablein any sport I would have thought. Max came to us as a teenager,he's now a world champion," he told the Secrets of Success podcast."I think the same with Lewis Hamilton, he's now the most successfuldriver of all time and he will have more sway within his team thanhis teammate, because his value to the team is significantlygreater. "I think that it's a matter of keeping that in check. Ofcourse, there will be certain privileges that are allowed to yourcentre forward, your star player. "But he's still part of a team,there's no room for a prima donna, because at that point it becomesbigger than the team. So he can't achieve what he wants to, withouthaving the team behind him, and without having the tools to providethe equipment. "That's where it's a matter of achieving that, thatbalance, being respectful of the status that they've achieved, butalso still recognising you're part of a team and you need all theother elements to deliver your part."