Formula 1: Christian Horner hails 'mind blowing' season as Max Verstappen cruises at Belgian GP

Red Bull boss Christian Horner described his team’s form this season as “mind blowing” after Max Verstappen’s latest display of dominance at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen romped to his eighth consecutive victory and 10th of the season to maintain Red Bull’s total grip on Formula One after 12 of 22 races. Asked about the prospects of completing an unbeaten season, Horner said: “I’m not going to project that far ahead. We’ll come back after the break and try to keep this amazing momentum going.” Formula One will shut down for three weeks and return at the end of August with Verstappen’s home Dutch Grand Prix, where he will seek to equal former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 record of nine straight wins. Verstappen’s 45th career victory lifted him 125 points clear of teammate Sergio Perez in the title race while in the constructors championship, Red Bull lead with 503 points to Mercedes on 247. On Sunday, Perez was second – Red Bull’s fifth one-two of the season – and he has a 40-point lead over Fernando Alonso in the standings. Horner praised the team for their work in winning all 12 races this year. “It’s all about teamwork and everyone doing their bit,” he said. “It’s what the team has done in the first part of this year and it’s why we remain unbeaten so far. It’s mind blowing! “We need to keep this level going, but right now everyone deserves a well-deserved break.” Verstappen said his latest demonstration of dominance “was really enjoyable” especially as he had started sixth on the grid. “It’s a new spot, that’s for sure - P6. I knew that we had a great car. It was just about surviving turn one. We made all the right moves.” Such was Verstappen’s superiority he had time to tease his race engineer over the team radio. As Gianpiero Lambiase warned him about degradation and to conserve his tyres he joked that he might go faster instead – and take an extra pit-stop to give the team more pit-stop practice. Their banter came as the 25-year-old Dutchman carved his way to a crushing 22-second victory ahead of Perez to complete a hat-trick of Belgian wins. Told earlier in the race to “follow my instructions, please, and respect them”, Verstappen was later told after pitting for fresh tyres that “you used a lot of the tyre on the out lap, Max. I’m not sure that was sensible”. Verstappen took little notice but responded with a fastest lap. “I’d ask you to use your head a bit more,” said his engineer to which he replied: “I could push on and have another stop, for pit-stop training.” “Not this time,” said Lambiase curtly, emphasising a need for caution that the champion said he had respected. “I did slow down,” protested Verstappen after the race.