For two decades, Red Bull Racing has held a prominent position in Formula 1. Christian Horner has been at the helm since the team’s entry in 2004. The team boss reflects on the past twenty years and praises the role of Max Verstappen. “His 2021 title is the pinnacle of the team’s history.”
In 2024, you celebrated a special milestone with Red Bull. Does it really feel like twenty years?
“It’s a long time, about forty percent of my life. Sometimes it really feels like twenty years, at other times half of that. When I look at how the business side has evolved over that time, and F1 as a sport… Incredible.”
Back to the beginning: you initially explored a possible F1 project with Arden Racing. Was that ever really close?
“Bernie Ecclestone was quite encouraging at the time, because Eddie Jordan wanted to leave the sport. I think Bernie wanted to bring new blood into F1 and he encouraged me very strongly to take the plunge. But at the same time, I sat down with Dietrich Mateschitz (the now deceased former CEO of Red Bull), who was also exploring options in F1. The then Jaguar team was Red Bull’s main option to step in. When the Jordan deal fell apart, Dietrich asked if I wanted to get involved with Red Bull. He wanted to change the team management.”
There had been a coming and going of team bosses at Jaguar up to that point: Bobby Rahal, Niki Lauda, Tony Purnell and so on. And then you came from the F3000.
“I stepped in as a 31-year-old, still a bit wet behind the ears, and I’m sure they thought within the team: ‘Oh, here’s the next one’. Every six to twelve months there was a change of guard within the management. And you could see that people had become tired of the struggle because of that. Nobody wanted to stick their neck out. And that’s unhealthy in any organization. And meanwhile, many probably thought: ‘Who is this young guy?'”
What did you find at Jaguar when you started this new chapter in January 2005?
“You could feel that the team was out of balance, there was no technical direction. There were some opportunities, but they did not reinforce each other. The first thing I focused on was going back to basics. Trying to implement a racing team culture. And I was lucky that David Coulthard came on board at the same time. I had known David for years and he was someone I could really trust and exchange ideas with, which I could then compare with David’s experiences at McLaren and Williams.”
You went from an organization of 25 people to a few hundred, and you had to get them on board.
“About 400 then, yes. The first few months I just watched and listened, trying to discover what the problems were and which issues we needed to tackle first. The technical direction was missing, the three fundamental technical functions all worked quite separately from each other. Aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, and the design office, it was all different. It was crucial that Adrian Newey came on board at that time and that we could set up a structure with Rob Marshall.”
What was the reaction to Newey’s arrival? Existing staff might not have liked a newcomer or did everyone realize that this man knew how to win?
“I remember the head of aerodynamics telling me that Adrian had to adapt to Jaguar’s processes… I won’t mention his name, but I remember the discussion and what I said: ‘He has won more races and he is the most successful designer in history. I think you need to adapt to him, not the other way around. He’s not working here as a consultant, he sets the pace and direction’. It was a big change, but it brought the racing culture that was so important. When Adrian’s arrival was a fact, we also caught the attention of others. Because if Adrian Newey is willing to go there, it’s serious. That opened the door for Peter Prodromou to come on board and several other key forces.”
Red Bull Racing’s Journey to Success
“Initially, Red Bull Racing used Cosworth engines, then switched to Ferrari, and finally turned to Renault…”
“The Ferrari engine was never really what we wanted, and it quickly became clear that the Renault V8 was the engine to have at the time. However, it was exclusive to Renault, they were not supplying to a customer team at that time. Later, we were able to build the RB3 around it for 2007. That was a major transition, our team was not ready for Adrian Newey at that time. We had switched to a seamless shift gearbox, the aerodynamics of the car were completely different. We were not yet equipped for this with our resources, materials, and production qualities. It was a year full of reliability issues, but we still managed to make it to the podium a few times. The car had potential, which became particularly evident in the second half of the year.”
Waiting for the Right Driver: Sebastian Vettel
“There was something even more important than that, namely the regulation change for 2009. We had a good group of people together, there was a good vibe. And now we could start scoring with the new regulations. Meanwhile, Sebastian was showing his talent through Toro Rosso and that’s how he ended up at Red Bull Racing.”
2009: The Year of Brawn GP and Red Bull’s Rise
“It was a frustrating year, as we got stuck between the politics of what was happening at a higher level and the use of the double diffuser. It was simply a power struggle between the FIA and the teams and Bernie. We were caught in the crossfire as a team, but we had a very fast car and even with a single diffuser, we managed to win our first race in China. That was a significant moment for the team.”
First Championship Victory in 2010
“Sebastian was in excellent form that year, but we were a young team and we made a few mistakes. The car was not reliable, which was a shame, because he could have crushed the rest. But in the end, four drivers could still win in the final race in Abu Dhabi, and against all odds, Sebastian made it. It was the only time he led the championship.”
Three More Titles for Vettel
“In 2011, we were a better team, we had learned from the previous year and were now dominant. In 2012, there was a regulation change about the blown diffuser and it took a while to resolve that. Sebastian had only won one race when we left Europe. Then he won four times in a row and was back in the title fight. We managed to become champions again. After that, we were also extremely dominant in 2013, before the major engine regulation change for 2014.”
When the Hybrid Era Began, You Were at the Mercy of Renault
“It quickly became clear that they hadn’t done enough, nor had they done it in time. I remember going to Paris with Adrian and then a few more times alone, for a meeting with Carlos Ghosn (CEO of Renault) and begging him to invest more resources in 2014. The response I got was that Renault knows how to make turbo engines. But unfortunately, what came to market in 2014 was two years behind Mercedes…”
A Team Needs a Special Driver to Be Successful Over a Long Period. First, You Had That with Vettel, Then Max Verstappen Arrived Mid-2016 and You Were Blessed with a Special Driver Twice in a Short Time
“I think you create your own luck. We had the courage to put Max in the car at Toro Rosso: kudos to Helmut Marko for recognizing his talent at a young age. What also played a role was the interest that Mercedes, through Niki Lauda, showed in Max. It almost became a personal competition between the two (Marko and Lauda) to get him to sign. From my perspective, we just wanted to get Max in the car as quickly and as relevantly as possible.”
The Switch to Honda in 2019 Was a Leap of Faith, But It Changed Everything and Led to Three World Titles with Verstappen
“We had the opportunity to first try out Honda at Toro Rosso in 2018, because McLaren had kicked them out. Fred Vasseur, then at Sauber, had rejected a Honda deal. We decided to give it a year at Toro Rosso. You could then see the dedication, passion, and resources of Honda. Around the Canadian GP, it was clear to us that we were going to make the full switch (with Red Bull Racing). And suddenly, boom, we were back in the game. I think the most important thing for us during that difficult period was that we won races every year, except in 2015. And we seized the opportunities we could. Once we had the missing piece in Honda, we were back at the front. And that, combined with Max’s rise at the same time, his breakthrough… You could just feel the momentum.”
How significant was Verstappen’s first championship in 2021?
“After joining us as a teenager, we watched Max grow. We saw his development and his exceptional talent. So, we simply had to provide him with the tools to utilize that talent, such as a competitive engine in the car. That first championship in 2021 was one of the most iconic seasons in Formula 1, right up to that final race. It was like a heavyweight fight from the first round in Bahrain to 21 races later in Abu Dhabi. It was absolutely the pinnacle of our team history. This was followed by a dominant title victory in 2022 and then an incredible season in 2023. It ensured that Max secured a place among the biggest names in the sport and strengthened that position every year. I also think he thoroughly deserves it.”
Last year had its ups and downs, but ultimately there was also a fourth title. How do you look back on that season?
“Of course, you have the highlights of the nine victories, the four sprint wins, the nine pole positions. But it was a very tough season. The competition caught up with us, we had a very difficult summer. I thought Max was fantastic, he really got everything out of that car and drove very maturely. On the days he couldn’t win, he took the points: he secured a second or third place. And then you have his performance in Brazil: that is a victory that will go down in history as a highlight in Formula 1. Within our team, no one gave up last year, everyone kept their cool and kept fighting.”
Was it frustrating that at least the first part of the year was overshadowed by all the issues around you in the background? How difficult was it to just continue with your work?
“When everyone is in the pit box, you focus on racing again. That’s always how we’ve operated.”
In this new season, you have a new structure: Adrian Newey is no longer there. And you obviously have to look towards 2026. What challenges does the team face?
“Adrian played a key role during his time with us. And we will always look back on that time with great pleasure, satisfaction, and gratitude. But the team was already evolving. Of course, it’s strange to see him in a green shirt from Aston Martin after all these years. And Adrian had been more in the background in recent years, but this is the first year he is not involved at all. The rest of the team continues with the work and I think we have a strong, good group.
Everything evolves, it’s also good to see that young talent is getting a chance. As in any organization, stagnation can be a setback for us, but we have always been progressive. We are going into the last year of the current regulations and behind the scenes, 2025 is a hugely important year for Red Bull Powertrains. It is preparing to provide our two teams with engines from Ford in 2026. There’s a lot going on.”
Do you feel that you need to secure Max Verstappen‘s fifth championship in 2025 because 2026 will be much more challenging? No one knows how good the new Honda, Ferrari, or Mercedes will be, but there are clearly bigger question marks over both your power sources and those of Audi.
“2025 will be extremely competitive. Last year, you could already see the margins between four teams. There will be eight drivers who can compete for the win this year if the ratios are the same as at the end of 2024. I think that’s good for Formula 1, but it increases the internal pressure in your team to take advantage of every point, every Grand Prix. And then a complete reset awaits us in 2026. For the first time, we will be an engine supplier and manufacturer, and that’s a huge undertaking. It’s definitely a long-term project that will yield results, but there will undoubtedly also be growing pains.”
It was your decision, you along with Helmut Marko and then Dietrich Mateschitz, to develop your own power source. That was a gamble, does it come with stress?
“As Dietrich always said: No risk, no fun. If you look at how big our team is, how competitive we are… Then we can’t be dependent on external suppliers who can withdraw or change their minds at any time. We now hold our own fate in our hands and have control over it. The shareholders have greatly supported us in this, as evidenced by the investment made in building a state-of-the-art facility. We have everything on one site. Apart from Ferrari, we are the only team that has that. It’s an exciting project, not without risks or challenges. But that’s also something Red Bull has never been afraid of.”
Of course, we all wonder what Verstappen’s long-term plans are. He has a contract, but at this stage of his career, he doesn’t necessarily want to be part of a project with growing pains.
“I think he believes in the project and embraces it. There are no guarantees in 2026, for anyone. That’s what’s going to be so interesting: to see how it all turns out.”
