Christian Horner is undoubtedly one of the best Formula 1 team bosses. The Briton is not only an iconic F1 personality but also one of the most popular sporting figures in the United Kingdom. As Red Bull basks in their glory in the recent doubleheader, Horner reveals how he brought the team from ‘rags to riches’
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In an interview with The Diary of A CEO, the Red Bull supremo talked about the ”game plan” when he was appointed as the team principal [after Jaguar was changed to Red Bull] who gradually built Red Bull to become one of the fearsome and successful team in the sport in a very short time.
Talking about this, Horner shared, “I know what’s my game plan here [at new Red Bull] and my plan was to engage with the people, understand what are the issues. Listen. You spend the next few months listening and form your own picture.”
“So, that’s what I did over the first couple of months. I spent time walking around the factory, engaging with people, listening, and then the picture started to come clear,” further asserted the boss of the Austrian team.
How Christian Horner and Red Bull rose together?
Christian Horner took over as the boss in 2005 after Dietrich Mateschitz bought the Jaguar F1 team renamed it Red Bull Racing. The Austrian put Horner in charge and from there on, the team never had to look back. Horner took over as the team principal with David Coulthard and Christian Klien in the driver’s line-up.
8/ An opportunity soon arose: in 2004, Mateschitz bought Jaguar F1 racing for $1.
Why so cheap? He had to commit $400m to improve the team over the following 3 years.
The team was renamed Red Bull Racing and, in 2005, it made Christian Horner the team head (and he remains). pic.twitter.com/AeEyZWL6zP
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) December 23, 2021
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While taking over, Horner became the youngest-ever team principal in F1. The recipient of the Order of the British Empire for his services to motorsport in 2013, was a motor racing driver before he took over the managerial role.
With Horner, the Bulls tasted immense success as Sebastian Vettel picked up back-to-back four driver’s championships from 2010 to 2013. Max Verstappen also picked two back-to-back F1 titles in 2021 and 2022. As for the constructors’ championships, the Milton-Keynes-based team picked it up four times, with 2022 expected to bring the fifth one.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Christian Horner Unhappy with 2022 Budget Cap, Calls for Urgent Attention
After taking over the underperforming Jaguar team, Horner has transformed the team 180 degrees under his able leadership, without a doubt. Jaguar F1, the team that was heavily struggling to make their presence felt, Dietrich Mateschitz’s choice to take over the team and make Christian Horner the team principal, was a brilliant decision.