Pink Bull group principal Christian Horner says Max Verstappen will do “his speaking on the observe” in his title battle with Lewis Hamilton this 12 months and believes the 23-year-old is greater than able to absorbing stress from his rival.

After 4 rounds of the 2021 championship, Hamilton leads Verstappen by 14 factors on the high of the drivers’ standings in what seems to be more likely to turn into a two-horse race for the title.

Errors have been a key feature of the opening four rounds, with Verstappen freely giving factors and positions in Bahrain and Portugal resulting from minor errors, whereas Hamilton was fortunate to not lose extra factors after hitting the limitations at Imola.

Forward of final weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton highlighted Verstappen’s errors, saying Mercedes could not “proceed to depend on errors from others”, however Horner stated such feedback haven’t any affect on his driver.

“Max will do his speaking on the observe,” Horner advised ESPN.

“Lewis has demonstrated he is able to, excuse my French, dropping a b—— often.

“He is able to making a big mistake as we noticed in Imola, and he simply acquired very fortunate that he wasn’t a lap down and did not pay an even bigger value for it.

“Look, they will all make errors and we’re on the non-pressured stage of the championship in the intervening time. As we get to the enterprise finish it is going to rely for extra.

“When 5 races are left and if there’s nonetheless the factors distinction that there’s now, that is when the stress mounts up, not at this stage.”

Though he’s an 11-time race winner, Verstappen has by no means been in a title battle throughout his six years in System One, whereas Hamilton is already a seven-time world champion.

Requested if Verstappen was at a drawback in comparison with Hamilton resulting from his lack of expertise, Horner stated: “I believe he is acquired that youthful bravado; he is acquired nothing to lose.

“Each huge stress level in his profession I’ve seen him take care of beforehand, he is stepped as much as the plate tremendously properly.

“I’ve acquired little question he’ll be capable to take care of it ought to the chance come.”

Forward of every race this 12 months, Mercedes has been eager to label itself because the hunters rather than the hunted in the title battle, however Horner stated he was already uninterested in questions on who’s the favorite forward of every spherical.

“[Those statements] haven’t any affect on the group in any respect,” he stated. “Lewis is a a number of world champion and Mercedes are the reigning seven-time world champions.

“I believe far an excessive amount of has been manufactured from who the favorite is. Go to the bookies if you wish to see who the favorite is.”