17. Christian Horner

Christian Horner was born on 16 November 1973 into a family involved in the car industry: his grandfather worked as the purchasing manager at the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, before establishing an agency with Horner’s father to supply components to motor manufacturers in the English Midlands. Horner was privately educated at Arnold Lodge School in Leamington Spa and then Warwick School.

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Christian’s path to the top rung of the Formula One management ladder began behind the wheel, as a talented young racer. After rising through the ranks to Formula 3000 in the late 1990s, Christian eventually hung up his racing overalls and moved to a management role. At the age of 25, he founded the Arden International Race Team and quickly built the squad into a formidable winning machine.

Three consecutive International Formula 3000 Team Championships, as well as Drivers’ titles in 2003 and 2004, brought the young Team owner to the attention of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz and when the company decided to field its own F1 entry in 2005, it turned to Christian to run the operation.

A solid first season in F1 saw Christian guide the Team to seventh in the Constructors’ Championship but the real success came at the end of the campaign when Christian Horner secured the services of legendary designer Adrian Newey as Chief Technical Officer. Development was swift over the following two seasons and by 2009 the Team was in a position to capitalise on major rule changes within the sport. The Team took its first win, a 1-2 victory, at the Chinese Grand Prix in 2009 and the triumph sparked a winning streak that saw the Team collect six victories by the end of the season.

The advancement in performance for 2009 proved to be a stepping stone to greater things. In 2010, Christian led Red Bull Racing to its first brace of titles, securing the Constructors’ Championship at the penultimate round in Brazil, and adding the Drivers’ title at a tense Abu Dhabi finale. The Team had momentum, and further double World Championships followed in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Leaner times were on the horizon and when Formula One introduced the current generation of V6 hybrid engines in 2014, Red Bull Racing’s dominance ended abruptly. The Team has, however, continued to prosper, consistently delivering victories and adding trophies to the cabinet, while developing a reputation under Christian’s leadership as a Team capable of extracting the maximum out of any opportunity.

To date, the Team has accumulated 64 victories and 119 other podium finishes. It has 63 pole positions and 68 fastest laps. And while Christian is still one of the youngest Team Principals in the F1 paddock, entering his 17th season at the helm of Red Bull Racing Honda, he is also its most experienced.