Q&A with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner

Matt Baker (0:04)

Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of The Sky Sports F1 Podcast. We've got a real treat for you, because in a season that's seen records tumble, a sixth Constructors' title for Red Bull Racing, and a one-two in the championship for the team, it's all gone rather well for their team principal, Christian Horner, who joins us on the podcast. Christian, how are you personally?

Christian Horner (0:22)

Very good.

Matt Baker (0:23)

Yeah, very good. How, what does the end of the season look like for you? What have you been up to since Abu Dhabi?

Christian Horner (0:28)

Well, it's been flat out, to be honest with you, from the moment we left Abu Dhabi. A lot of stuff to get done back in the factory, awards events, prize givings, FIA prize givings coming up this Friday.

Christmas parties coming up as well for all the staff. So, but still a lot going on back in the factory as RB20 starts to come to life.

Matt Baker (0:53)

Give us some insight into a Red Bull Christmas party. What's it like?

Christian Horner (0:56)

Well, it's always great fun.

Everybody lets their hair down and it's that work hard, play hard mentality that we have. And especially this year after what an amazing year to celebrate everything that the whole team has achieved together under one roof. I think it will be very special.

Matt Baker (1:14)

So we're not going to see a repeat of Japan on the karaoke?

Christian Horner (1:17)

No, not for me. Karaoke is done.

Matt Baker (1:22)

I have one other thing to ask you as well, because I saw a photo of you on a beach with Daniel Ricciardo almost days after Abu Dhabi.

Was that planned? Was that something that you intended to go on a holiday with your drivers?

Christian Horner (1:33)

No, no, no. It was literally the Monday after we had a shareholder dinner in Dubai on Monday evening. So Monday morning, I went down to the beach and who was there but Daniel and his partner, Heidi and others as well, Pierre Gasly and so on. So obviously, they were hanging around because they were testing on the Tuesday.

Matt Baker (1:57)

Sort of a nightmare, isn't it? You finish the season working with these people and you see them on the beach on your first day. Let's talk, I mean, look, for those of you listening to the podcast, you won't be able to see this, but we're in Sky's swanky new studio. We've got the RB19 behind us. We've got Max and Cheko on the wall there. But talk to me about this car. And I know that when Max was interviewed after the race in Abu Dhabi, he said he got surprisingly emotional on the in-lap.

And I wonder when you look at the car, the RB19, what are your emotions? What do you feel?

Christian Horner (2:25)

Well, it's a piece of history now. I mean, what it's achieved is quite outstanding. And of course, so much of it was carryover from RB18. So part of the chassis was carryover, the suspension was carryover, the gearbox was exactly the same. So probably 60% of the car actually raced last year as well.

So what is the amount of races that some of these components have won is, you know, more than 30 races.

And it's incredible, incredible to think what we've achieved as a team. And so this car to have broken all the records from the McLaren 1988 season to winning 95.5% of the races this year has just been phenomenal. And Max has just been on a different level as well this year.

Matt Baker (3:12)

How much faster can this car go?

Christian Horner (3:14)

Well, of course, you can always improve. And that's what Formula One is all about. It's always looking at where can you be better? And RB19, whilst it ticks a lot of boxes, there are still areas that we can improve that we'll be taking and looking to carry into RB20.

But that's Formula One, that's competition. It's all those marginal gains that you're pursuing.

Matt Baker (3:39)

Throughout the year, it's almost been a running, and you alluded to a couple of records that you've broken there. It's been a running joke on our podcast. Every week it was like, oh, there's a new record gone. Okay, what's it been this week? You know, most wins in a single season, 19 for Max. First driver to lead a thousand laps in a Formula One season.

But I want to know your relationship with stats because near the end of the season, you came on the radio to Max, almost taking Crofty's job away from him and feeding the stats to him down the radio. So that to me tells me that they are really important to you as a team. And I know Max has sometimes said in the press conferences that he's not that bothered by statistics. But what does it mean for you and the team to be breaking all these records?