Verstappen HITS BACK at 'lazy' Horner claims

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has issued a strong statement in response to claims made by his Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

The Dutchman's comments come in the wake of last weekend's British Grand Prix, where he was beaten by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton during an emotional afternoon at Silverstone.

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Verstappen currently holds an 84-point advantage over McLaren driver Lando Norris in the drivers' standings, and looks well on course to add a fourth straight world title to his collection.

Despite claiming victories this season, however, the 26-year-old has looked a long way off his dominant best.

Norris and Ferrari star Charles Leclerc achieved commanding victories over Verstappen in Miami and Monaco respectively before Hamilton's recent success.

Red Bull won't 'get lazy'

With his team-mate Sergio Perez struggling to extract any pace from the RB20, questions have been raised over whether the reigning constructors' champions could be knocked off their perch by one of the chasing pack.

Even if Red Bull can hold off the competition this year, Horner has previously claimed the introduction of new regulations to the sport in 2026 will allow rival teams to bridge the gap.

Verstappen, however, has hit back at those comments, revealing he was confident that those working behind the scenes in Milton Keynes and beyond are intent on ensuring standards don't drop.

Speaking to Motorsport-Total.com, he said: "I refuse to believe that, because then you just get lazy.

"I'm confident that everyone in the factory is always working hard to give the car a little more power, but there are also a lot of smart people in other teams who are doing the same thing."

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