Christian Horner Interview

Matt Baker (0:06)

Hello, everybody. Welcome to a very special episode of The F1 Show, sponsored by Audi. The man to my left needs no introduction, but I'll give you one anyway. I'm good like that, Christian. 405 races, 287 podiums, 124 wins and 14 world championships. And the man that was at the helm of Red Bull for two decades. It's been 15 months, I think, since we've seen you in this sort of environment. How are you?

How's the menagerie? How's the petting zoo at home?

Christian Horner (0:38)

Oh, good. You know, it's been an adjustment, but it's actually been really good. I mean, I've been on that hamster wheel when you talk about all those races. You know, the seasons morph into seasons. And so suddenly stepping off that sort of hamster wheel and just having a bit of time for family and at home and not constantly traveling and in a semi-state of jet lag has been, I've actually really enjoyed it.

Matt Baker (1:05)

Race Horses, had any winners yet?

Christian Horner (1:06)

You're training them up there in the gallops? We're training at the moment. So we've got a few runners coming over the winter. Nothing too serious, though.

Matt Baker (1:14)

I've read your book. There's so much I'd love to talk to you about that's in the book. There's a lot of stuff outside of the book that I'd love to talk to you about as well.

But in the research, she was like, where do you start? Where do you start, Christian, in a career that's been so varied? But you were the youngest ever team principal at the age of 31 Started in 2005 I think it's a theme that will come back to your building of motorsport teams. You did it with Arden, had some great success. In the end, you had to build them up from scratch.

Remortgage houses or your dad's house, all that stuff. Then, I suppose I wanted to start with Bernie Eccleston. Because I'm not sure in the podcast I'll be listening to, many people have talked to you about your relationship with Bernie. You were best man, I think I'm right in saying, when you married Fabiana. But your friendship started early, didn't it? How much of a mentor was he to you? How did you get him on side?

Christian Horner (2:10)

Well, he was such a formidable character, still is at 95 years of age. But Bernie built the business, he controlled the business with an iron fist and all the support categories as well. So my first introduction with him was when I was sort of nominated by the Formula 3000, what are now Formula Two teams, to say, yeah, Christian, you can go and ask Bernie for some more money.

So that's what I did. I ended up, I turned up at Princes Gators' office and introduced myself and said, I'm here on behalf of all the teams and we feel we need a bit more money. And you can imagine that was quite a short conversation. But I think he admired the fact that I got the guts to go in there and ask him. And he started probing me a bit more on what I was doing and this and the other. And then I remember the end of the conversation, he's saying to me, you should be in Formula One, which in my late 20s, early 30s was exactly what you want to hear from the guy that's running the sport. And he encouraged me to go and speak to Eddie Jordan. He said, you know, Eddie's looking at getting out, go and see Eddie. And so I looked at that, I offered Eddie a pound for his team, which didn't go down well. I remember the hairdryer phone call from China where he was. But no, Bernie was very supportive. And I think, for sure, Dietrich would have asked his advice about me before I went there. And he was always very, very supportive of me. And I built a relationship with him in those early days. It turned into, went from a work relationship to a friendship.

And yeah, we had a lot of fun.

Matt Baker (3:55)

You used to take down Lots Road Antiques. Did they need to show you how to cut a deal?

Christian Horner (4:00)

Well, we used to do all kinds of stuff. I mean, when there wasn't a Grand Prix, I'd either end up at a football match with him and Flavio at the time at Queen's Park Rangers or at some furniture auction where he was buying second-hand sofas.

But it was always fun. It was always... And what I found fascinating with him, he was just an encyclopedia of knowledge and history of the sport with an incredible memory.