Christian Horner trolls Damon Hill as Sky Sports F1 pundit changes tune on Max Verstappen

boss wasted no time in digging out Damon Hill after . In what proved a chaotic race in the heavy rain at Interlagos, the Dutchman came from 17th on the grid to take the chequered flag and all but seal a fourth successive world title.

Ahead of the Grand Prix, it seemed inevitable that Verstappen's world championship lead would be cut with title rival on pole.

However, the British driver endured a difficult time of it, and could only finish sixth with the gap between the pair now at 62 points with only three races left in 2024.

Verstappen's display was undoubtedly among his greatest ever, and served as the perfect riposte to recent criticisms over his driving style. Sky Sports F1 pundit Hill of the 27-year-old, after he was handed two separate penalties by stewards in the previous race in Mexico.

"The problem that Max has is he simply refuses to concede any turf at all, to anyone, in an overtake," Hill said on the Sky F1 podcast. "It is possible to race fairly and that is something I'm not sure that Max is capable of. It's not in his repertoire. It's not in his philosophy."

In the build-up to Brazil, Verstappen brushed off Hill's opinions, and the former man cut a very different tone in his post-race analysis on Sunday. "We sort of conjected at the beginning that maybe this was a day when he (Verstappen) could show everyone his brilliance, and he's absolutely done that today," he said.

Horner, who was alongside Hill and co at the time, wasn't about to let the comment pass. "I think we're gonna have to get that on record that Damon said something nice!" he joked.

Verstappen himself also took aim in his press conference, hitting back at what he's previously alleged to be bias against him from the British press. He pointedly asked where all the UK based journalists had gone, notably smirking as he made his enquiry.

But team principal Horner struck a more serious tone as he lavished praise on his driver, arguing his ability came to the fore in the treacherous weather. "It was a masterclass today, and I think in those conditions, the driver's skill really comes to a fore, and he was in a league of his own," he said.

"I think as a team we got all the calls right during the race, and the car had great pace. It really was an incredible, incredible performance from him - one of his very best."

Verstappen's win also kept Red Bull's slim hopes of a third straight Constructors' championship alive. The team lie third, 49 points off leaders and 13 behind .