Nine years on from that, Verstappen’s predecessor at Red Bull Sebastian Vettel equalled his hero’s achievement in 2013. “It is just an incredible season for the team,” Verstappen said. “I never thought I’d be able to win 14 races in a year. But even when Mercedes were sweeping all before them, the best Lewis Hamilton achieved was 11 wins in a year. Verstappen has been downplaying his achievement, saying the seasons in F1 are longer now than they were. As Horner himself put it after the race: “We are a team of racers. There, Horner is referencing how Verstappen won the race, by taking a risky tyre strategy and making it work.

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