Christian Horner claims Damon Hill ‘has never been a fan’ of Max Verstappen

The Dutch racer leads the driver standings with just two weekends left of the season

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Damon Hill has an issue with Max Verstapen, claims Christian Horner, which has filtered through to commentary over the last few Formula One seasons.

The Red Bull boss feels there’s a huge distinction with how the drivers are reported on and the two teams they represent judged accordingly, as Verstappen battles with Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 title.

It’s Verstappen who leads his Mercedes rival by eight points with two races to go, but nationality perhaps gets in the way of neutrality in the eyes of Horner.

“We’ve got a British driver going for a record-breaking World Championship,” Horner told the Telegraph.

“And Damon obviously has never been a fan of Max…if you talk to the Dutch then Max can walk on water. That’s just the way things are reported. And, you know, sometimes impartiality does get lost.”

While noting that his team’s driver doesn’t care much for the fanfare around the championship battle and mainly ignores criticism, Horner was at a loss to explain what it is that makes Hill, the 1996 World Championship winner, biased against the Dutchman.

“That’s something you’d have to ask Damon. But he’s not a big fan of Max from what I can see.

“It’s something that’s been noticeable over the last couple of years. But everybody has a right to an opinion. You know, it’s a free world. And, as I said to Damon, I’m the type of person that, if I don’t agree with your opinion, I’m not just going to roll over.

“If I think somebody is being an arse, I’ll tell them I think they’re being an arse.”