Christian Horner has been active as a team boss in Formula 1 for 18 years now. The current Red Bull official joined Jaguar Racing in 2005 and couldn’t believe the mentality at the time.
“The team had an attitude that was something like, ‘We’re the team with the seventh highest net worth in F1, so we’re going to finish the season in seventh place too’. They believed that the placement was tied to money,” Horner revealed about the early days of his time at Jaguar in the “Sky Sports” documentary “Secret to Success”. “And that’s exactly the attitude I couldn’t and didn’t want to accept,” said the current Red Bull team boss.
He also divulged further details about his start with the predecessor of the Austrian racing team. “Before me there were a few people who went through management at Jaguars. And so the expectation of the employees was: ‘Oh, the next youngster. He probably won’t stay here long’,” revealed the 50-year-old.
In order to convince people, Horner then pursued a specific goal. “It was a matter of winning the hearts and minds of the team,” he said of his plan. “The whole culture had to be changed. Because when I arrived here, I saw a team where the individual groups worked only for themselves,” he explained.
Red Bull before the next Formula 1 title
Horner has long since succeeded in cultural change. At least since the arrival of Sebastian Vettel, the Red Bulls have been fighting for titles and places on the podium in the premier class of motorsport.
In addition to Vettel’s four driver’s titles, Max Verstappen is now a two-time world champion. The Dutchman is currently leading the Formula 1 drivers’ championship with a 69-point lead over his team-mate Sergio Perez and is therefore on the verge of his third title in a row.