Red Bull team boss Christian Horner acknowledges that he is not particularly popular with the general public, especially compared to other team bosses. This became painfully clear when he took the stage at the F1 75 event at the O2 Arena – his brief speech was met with a chorus of boos. In the run-up to the Austrian Grand Prix, he is seeking an explanation for the ongoing criticism of Red Bull and himself.
Horner came under negative scrutiny in 2024, primarily due to his alleged inappropriate behavior towards a Red Bull employee. Once the dust had settled, he faced further criticism over the situation with Sergio Pérez. The Mexican driver frequently underperformed on the track, but many believed Horner unjustly defended him. Even now, as Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda appear to have been promoted to the second Red Bull seat in vain, the criticism continues.
However, Horner is unfazed. In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, he pointed out that it’s his relentless drive to win that makes him a polarizing figure. “It’s inevitable that you can’t please everyone, especially since everything is so widely reported in the media,” said Horner. “But despite all that, I’ve always remained the same person. I still act the same – I expect one hundred percent and I give one hundred percent.”
‘Winning Makes You Unpopular’
“This can also make you unpopular with Red Bull’s rivals. The best way to become unpopular in this business is by winning – and we’ve done that quite well over the past few years,” he explained. “And when you fall out of favor with your opponents, you naturally become unpopular with the ultra-passionate fans who follow Formula 1. Many of them also support those aforementioned rivals.”
Finally, Horner mentioned a certain degree of national pride that sometimes hinders Red Bull. Formula 1 has a large fan base in England, but although Red Bull’s headquarters is in Milton Keynes, the team races under the Austrian flag. It has been a long time since a British driver raced for the team. Horner understands that this can lead to hostility among local Formula 1 fans. “Since David Coulthard, we haven’t had a British driver,” he emphasized. “We won four times with Sebastian Vettel, who beat Lewis Hamilton and Alonso. Then we did it again with Max Verstappen, who beat Hamilton, and then Norris and Russell. So as an Austrian team, we’ve never really been the favorite – despite the fact that we are strongly oriented towards Britain as a company.”
