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Christian Horner insists he pays no attention to what Toto Wolff says after his Mercedes rival declared: “No one is going to catch Max Verstappen this year.”

The Red Bull team principal is refusing to rule out Mercedes despite their sluggish start to the 2024 season with Lewis Hamilton only on 10 points – 67 less than Verstappen.

“It’s very early to write off your year,” Horner said when Wolff’s comments were put to him.

“There’s still 20 races to go, but I’ve learned not to listen too much to what Toto said over the years.”

Wolff had added: “His [Verstappen’s] driving and the car is just spectacular.

“You can see the way he manages the tyres and, basically, this season now is [about] best of the rest.”