Christian Horner — Team principal of Red Bull Racing, the youngest team principal in Formula 1 history, who turned a struggling team into multiple-time world champions.
The gist
Christian Horner reflects on his journey from an obsessive young karting fanatic to becoming Formula 1's youngest ever team principal. He explains how he rebuilt a dysfunctional, blame-driven Red Bull team by recruiting designer Adrian Newey, instilling a no-blame culture, and empowering the right people in the right roles. Horner relives the dramatic 2021 championship won on the final lap in Abu Dhabi against Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. He also opens up about emotional control, an episode of anxiety during the 2012 season, and balancing relentless ambition with family life.
Big reveals
- On his first day at Red Bull he found a secretary in tears, unopened Christmas cards, and a half-drunk coffee left by the just-fired previous boss.
- He diagnosed the team's core problem as a blame culture with no accountability, and decided the fix was hiring top technical talent.
- Convincing Adrian Newey to join was the 'litmus moment' that galvanized the whole team.
- In Abu Dhabi 2021, a back-marker crash gave Red Bull a single-lap window; they pitted for fresh tires and Verstappen passed Hamilton to win the title.
- Horner says he is still the youngest team principal in F1 to this day, after 18 years.
- He describes suffering anxiety in 2012, becoming self-conscious of his breathing and feeling dizzy before learning to manage it.
- Offered a hypothetical button to erase Mercedes entirely, he says he would not press it because racing a quality rival is what makes winning satisfying.
Things worth remembering
- As a boy he willed himself not to grow taller than 5'7" so he could be a racing driver.
- Red Bull's operation is roughly 700-800 people, growing past 1,000 with the new engine group on one Milton Keynes campus.
- Red Bull decided to become its own engine manufacturer, taking on Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda.
- During COVID the team went from about 5 people able to work remotely to 400 almost overnight.
- They built an engine factory in 55 weeks and designed and fired up an engine within 12 months.
- Mercedes brought barristers to Abu Dhabi 2021, expecting Verstappen to crash into Hamilton on lap one.
- The 2021 finale was described as the most singly viewed piece of sport in at least five years.
- Horner first won a championship around age 35, with Sebastian Vettel, also at Abu Dhabi against the odds.