In January 2005, Horner was appointed to head the Team, becoming the youngest Team Principal on the grid at the time. Christian’s first win as an F1 Team Principal came at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix, a breakthrough that would lead to five more victories that season. Over the following four years Christian led the team to a quartet of consecutive Constructors’ and Drivers’ title wins. Christian’s achievement in winning four consecutive double titles was recognised in 2013 when he was awarded an Order of the British Empire, by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The introduction of hybrid power in 2014 led to a reset of the competitive order and victories proved increasingly hard to come by. Christian set about a rebuilding programme, gradually steering the Team back towards competitiveness through the acquisition of new talent and, in 2019, with the arrival of a new Power Unit partner, Honda.
Three wins in 2019 were followed by two more in 2020 and then, at the end of an epic campaign, Christian led the Team to its first title in eight years when Max Verstappen secured his first Drivers’ Championship title.
Another new challenge awaited in 2022 as the sport ushered in the most comprehensive regulation changes seen in four decades, but once again the Team expertly navigated the launch of the new era and as well another Drivers’ title for Max, Christian took the team back to the top of the teams’ pecking order with a first Constructors’ title in nine years. The following season was even more successful, with the Team delivering F1’s most dominant season with 21 wins from 22 races, a seventh Drivers’ title and a sixth Constructors’ Championship win.
At the end of 2023, in recognition of the Team’s phenomenal success, Christian was elevated in the King’s New Year’s Honours List to the rank of Commander of the British Empire (CBE). The 2024 season presented challenges on and off track and while Max Verstappen claimed a fourth straight Drivers title, the tightly contested Teams’ battle resulted in ORBR missing out on Constructors’ trophy.
Christian has also overseen enormous growth at the Team’s Milton Keynes headquarters. The expansion includes the 2016 establishment of Red Bull Advanced Technologies to apply the Team’s F1 expertise to high-tech solutions for external organisations and in 2021 the creation of Red Bull Powertrains to design, build and develop its own power unit, which in 2023 resulted in a new partnership with automotive giant Ford to create Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
In addition to his role as Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing, Christian is also an Ambassador for the Wings for Life charity.
