Christian Horner admits 22-year-old driver was ‘really impressive’ throughout the 2023 season

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Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has admitted that he was really impressed with McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri in 2023.

Christian Horner will be delighted with how Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez delivered the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships last year.

He was speaking to Sky Sports and reflecting on one of the most dominant campaigns in Formula 1 history.

The Dutch national anthem became almost weekly listening for Formula 1 fans as the 26-year-old strolled to a third world title.

Perez became the first Red Bull driver to complete the one-two in the championship but the nature of Verstappen’s dominance meant that it was arguably an underwhelming season for the Mexican.

He’s already been told what he needs to improve on heading into 2024 with his contract set to expire next winter.

It means Red Bull will be keeping a close eye on the rest of the grid to see if there are any standout performers they’d want to hire alongside Verstappen.

Christian Horner has since admitted that he was blown away by Oscar Piastri’s debut season with McLaren.

The 22-year-old signed a contract extension last year which would make any move for the Australian difficult.

But Horner is aware of how good he and teammate Lando Norris are and they could be Red Bull’s biggest rivals heading into 2024.

Horner praises McLaren star Piastri

Speaking about the Woking-based team, Horner said: “I think McLaren had a great second half of the year.

“There were times when they were our closest competitor. They have strengthened their team and Rob [Marshall] will be an asset, but it’s not just about one person.

“There are seven or eight hundred people in an F1 team and it needs the whole team to come together.

“With Lando (Norris) and Oscar (Piastri) – who was really impressive as a debutant – they could well be a factor next year.”

Piastri has earned praise from across the grid after his first year with McLaren and it’s no surprise that Christian Horner has added his name to that chorus of adulation.

Eddie Jordan has even backed Piastri to replace Perez at Red Bull in the future and while Horner would probably love to have him at the team, it seems unlikely that McLaren would let him go to a rival outfit on the grid.

It’s important not to get too carried away with the young Australian given he’s still very early in his career.

But there hasn’t been a rookie that’s made such an impact on the grid since Lewis Hamilton.