Red Bull boss on Max Verstappen: 'One of the best wet-weather drivers in F1 history'

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton won Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix but Red Bull's Max Verstappen stole the show. The 19-year-old braved through rain and damp conditions to charge from 16th to seventh during the chaotic opening lap, before finishing the race on the podium. According to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, the Dutch teenager is already one of the greatest wet-weather drivers in F1 history.

Verstappen's virtuoso display didn't end at the opening lap. After overtaking the likes of former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, Verstappen set the fastest lap of the race and nearly caught up with race leader Hamilton. Verstappen was met with a challenging situation during the dying laps when his tyres began fading and Haas F1's Romain Grosjean was ahead of him. After overtaking Grosjean, Verstappen had to hold off a late charge from teammate Daniel Ricciardo before finishing the race behind Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

“I think he is right up there (as one of the greatest wet-weather drivers ever). It is not a coincidence now, and you can see Brazil (last year) wasn’t a one-off. He appears to have an almost sixth sense in the wet. He doesn’t seem intimidated by it in any way, and is prepared to explore all the boundaries of the circuit available to find where the grip is," Horner told reporters after the race, via The Telegraph.

Max Verstappen is F1's new rain master

During last year's Brazilian GP in Interlagos, when met with similar conditions, Verstappen passed 11 cars within 16 laps to finish on the podium. On Sunday, Verstappen rightfully won the Driver of the Day award, voted by Formula One fans on FIA's official website. Lewis Hamilton, another driver who excels in wet-weather conditions, feels Verstappen's driving style brings a 'breath of fresh air' to the sport.

"I quite like him up here it makes me look younger while I'm up here, it's good to have a younger person around. Max has obviously done a fantastic job since he's been in the sport and a real breath of fresh air for everyone. He's got a great following and he's definitely been in some great situations in some races and really maximised above and beyond, which is why he gets driver of the day. It's a lot harder to do that when you're in the lead of a race obviously because you can't do much overtaking," Hamilton said while seated next to Verstappen during the post-race press conference.

The 2017 Formula One season continues with the Bahrain Grand Prix between April 14-16. Last year, reigning F1 world champion Nico Rosberg claimed victory after teammate Lewis Hamilton's car crashed into Valtteri Bottas during the opening lap. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished second while Hamilton recovered from his early accident to finish at the podium.