UNCUT: Full-length interview with Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner

SPEAKER_1 (0:07)

Welcome to Mind Set Win Uncut, a version of the podcast where we give you a full length interview with a guest who's already featured in the series, but this time with no interruptions. Today we have a real treat for fans of Formula One as we welcome the longest serving team principal on the grid, Christian Horner. Christian has led Oracle Red Bull Racing to more than 90 race victories, six drivers and five Constructors World Championship titles. We've had two episodes with Christian, one where we focused on the power of enjoyment and the other where we talked about improving your focus. But the interview was packed with even more insights and first-hand experience from the top end of Formula One and we really wanted to share all of it with you.

Christian Horner (1:04)

I'm Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing. I've never done a management course in my life. I left school after my A-levels at the age of 18 I grew up in the University of Life. I came through an education of initially being a driver, then creating my own team, driving for that team, and having to come up effectively the hard way of whether it was booking the hotels, doing the VAT returns, going out and getting the piece of the mechanics, washing the truck, cutting the sandwich for the sponsors, and then, oh, by the way, you got to drive the car. And I think having come up through the industry in the way that I did, that was an education in itself, having to find the money, go and find the sponsorship, find the funding, beg and borrow from the bank, and being hugely dependent on delivering results. And I think that's something that you either have something within you that has an ambition and a desire that burns within, or you don't. And I don't think you can teach that. You know, I have two brothers, we have the same parents, but we're all for eight different characters. Preparation is everything, because the hard work is done behind the scenes, and the execution of a good corn pre-weekend is basically the execution of the planning that has gone into the event. So that is done, you know, weeks in advance, months in advance in many respects, but of course, I'm following and tracking that progress, you know, prior to a corn pre-weekend. So that is all a building process. You're getting the feedback from the drivers, you're hearing the engineers, you're forming your own opinion. I mean, the car is fundamentally, it's got to be reliable. Your strategy has got to be strong. Your pit stops have got to be reliable. You know, you've got your preparation for the weekend, the work that you do in the free practice, the qualifying, and it's working through step by step. I think it's in the week build up to the race that you're thinking about the race, you're looking at what are the characteristics of the venue that you're going at, what's the weather forecast, how is the car behaving, what developments do we have. So it's a gradual build up and then you get a bit of thinking time, obviously usually on the flight on the way to a venue. And then during the Grand Prix weekend, I will attend various briefings to understand how we're fairing, how we're shaping up, particularly the strategic meetings. My schedule during the Grand Prix weekend is flat out and I have to be quite disciplined to ensure that I get that time to concentrate on what is the fundamental part of my job. Well, the reason I like to be on the pit wall is that you're front and central and you're involved intrinsically in the race. So our pit wall is one of the few pit walls that actually has a window in it because I want to be able to see the cars, I want to be able to see the proximity of the car that's following, for example, or if we're close behind or getting a run on the car ahead. Your senses are picking up, if there's a car that comes in with a brake issue or a tire issue, you can pick that up, you smell it. The noise is mainly cancelled out by the headphones that you're wearing, but again, you've got that background noise. So if an engine does sound slightly off tune, then again, you pick that up. So your senses are all heightened during that two hour period because it's a very intensive time. In that moment in time, you're almost in the car with the drivers and of course, the television feed is two seconds or three seconds behind reality. So you hear the cars accelerate, but then there's this awful moment before watching, seeing what happens and unfold on the TV. So we actually have a GPS tracker of all the cars. So I tend to be watching the GPS as well as the screen because that's the first indication that it gives me is to have we maintained position, have we gained a position or have we lost a position. Always have the same points, but I would say of the race calendar, the one that's the most unique, simply because the circumstances are different is Monaco. So Monaco, you're not the pit wall isn't on the pit wall, you're upstairs above the garage, you can't see the expression in the mechanic's faces, you're slightly removed, the intensity of that race, the proximity, everything is just closer, the fans are closer, the grid's crazy, the buildup is crazy and it's very intense. So that race of all the races is slightly different. I mean, I have a procedure that personally I've followed since I was racing myself and some may say it's superstition, but I think for me it's just a process of getting yourself in the right frame of mind in the moment. So whether it's almost like a ritual that you have as you prepare for the race, whether it's approaching the car from the right hand side as the driver sits in it to wish them luck, to where I stand in the garage for the start, all of those little things are crucial. It sort of evolved slightly over the years. I got into a habit of tying my shoelaces before a race now and you just add bits to it. It's just a process that you go through, I think, in order to get yourself in the groove. You see it with drivers sometimes. They're all different individuals. There's different things, suits different people. And so they all have their own individual way of going about it. They get in the car only from one side. Some drivers put the helmet on before they get in the car. Some put the helmet on in the car. Some put the gloves on left hand first. I think you've just got to give them that freedom and that space to do that. There's no set rule for any individual. And I think it's whatever floats their boat. Since I was 13, I've always had a lucky toilet. I had a Grand Prix circuit, which when it's a busy paddock and your lucky toilet is the one that's in use because sometimes it would be slightly awkward. It came about that when I was 13 years of age, I ended up on the go-kart track and there was about 15 toilets there. I went for a pee in this one toilet and won the race. So I thought, okay, well, I'll stick to that toilet. And it's something that's followed me through my entire career. Each circuit will have a lucky toilet, to be honest with you. So the good thing is that the European races, we have our own facilities. So that is fine. But it probably gets a little bit more tricky when you're in Brazil and there's 200 people queuing for the toilets and you're like lingering around waiting for the special one. You stick to the guidelines, but you know, how far do you take it? I mean, you can say, well, I've won the race wearing this watch. I'll wear that watch at the remaining races. Or, you know, do you have lucky underwear, for example? Where do you draw the lines? So otherwise, you have to be a little bit careful. Otherwise it can consume everything that you're doing. But I think, for me, I think you stick to the basics. And for me, that's just a way of getting into the zone of the race, because there's so much noise, there's so much commotion, there's media, there's press, there's sponsors, there's partners, there's meet and greets, there's all of that going on. And I want to be absolutely focused for a Grand Prix, which, you know, they tend to go incredibly quickly. And I want to make sure that I'm fully focused. I see that your mind is like a processor and is not to over-clutter it with rubbish. So focus on stuff that's important. If we start on the countdown from the grid, so the grid is a very busy place, so there's a lot going on, there's a lot of people on there, there's reporters, journalists, sponsors, partners. But that gradually starts to thin away as you get to the 10-minute board. And that's where suddenly it's about the team and the drivers. So I'm wanting to see the drivers get in to the car. I'm often watching how they look getting in to the car. You can often see that there's a confidence with the drivers as they step in. And indeed, they're going through their own process or ritual. And then it's a question of speaking briefly with the engineers, just making sure that the race engineers are happy with where their car's at or where their driver's at. And then my process is that I will always go and shake the driver's hand. I'll approach the car from the right hand side. And you know, they've come to expect that now. They're part of that, you know, that ritual as well, in many respects. And I'll offer some last minute encouragement or advice. And then it's a walk back to the garage. I watched the start of the race from in the garage. I'm listening to the radio, obviously, ensuring that, because the come on comes from the pit wall to make sure everybody has that radio communication, to stick their hand in the air. And so I'm looking to make sure that that's all in check and that there's a serenity, you know, in the garage, particularly, you know, with a wet, dry scenario, there's often a lot of activity going on in and around the garage. So I'll watch the race from the garage. There's a delay in the transmission. There's even a delay between the different screens. So I'll pick the quickest screen to watch, but I'll have the GPS in the corner of my eye to see, have we made a good start or not. I'll watch three quarters of the first lap to make sure that things have started to settle. And at that point, I'll walk across to the pit wall, trying to avoid being run over by the safety car that's hurtling down the pit lane at that point in time, and then plug in to the intercom and then join the pit wall for the Grand Prix. And it's straight in to the strategic options that are presented there and working with the strategists in terms of how the race is going to unfold. There is a lot of moving parts, but I mean, I think some of it you just go through on autopilot because if you know your subject, I think it's reasonably easy to deal with. I think what's constantly at the forefront of your mind is the race, the strategy in the race, the what-if scenarios, what if we get a bad start, what if we lose a front wing, what if one car has an issue. My biggest fear is that a driver gets hurt because it's a dangerous sport. You don't know when you shake that driver's hand whether that's the last time you get a seat or not. People underestimate the danger that's involved. In Formula One, it has got a lot safer. But at the back of your mind, there is always that fear that these drivers are doing unbelievable speeds and doing unbelievable things around street circuits. So that is always your biggest fear. I don't want to jinx things in certain ways. That's my own personal thing where, for example, in Monte Carlo, there's always a dinner for the winner that the team principal has to attend, and it's a black tie dinner, and I've never once taken a black tie with me to the event because I don't want to presume that we're going to win. I'd rather have a panic, someone go and find a DJ or borrower for a waiter or whatever for the evening. So I'm not being presumptuous in any way. I haven't picked who will go to the podium before the race. I might have a few names at the back of my mind, but I'll decide that in the closing couple of laps. Crucial races, I mean, Abu Dhabi 2021 where everything is more heightened because there's so much at stake. Was probably one of the most anticipated and viewed races in Formula One. Because it wasn't just about Abu Dhabi, it was a titanic battle between two great drivers and two immense teams. It was coming after a period of domination that the sport had never seen before. So there was the intensity of that battle throughout the year. That the whole organization feels. So I think you just focus on the basics. Do the basics well. Don't try and be too clever. Don't try and be too trick. And obviously the strategies that you adopt, they're presented and there's an element of risk and reward. And you don't want to be irrational. You don't want to take irresponsible risk. But sometimes you've got to push the boundaries. Going into that race, I spoke to the whole team before the race. I said, look, whatever the outcome of this Grand Prix is, just go out there and enjoy it. You've worked all season to get to this position where we're tied on points going into the final race of the year. Whatever happens, it's been an incredible season and the whole team had done an unbelievable job. So don't put pressure on yourself. Enjoy it and embrace the nerves. And I think on that day, we did exactly that. Others tighten when the big pressure points come. And I think it's the big pressure moments that define individuals. I think being pretty balanced, keeping your feet on the ground. I think they're the critical elements for success. Our drivers and particularly Max in dealing with the big pressure moments is phenomenal. And I think as a team, again, we've demonstrated our ability to deal with, you know, those pressure points. Seeing your car cross the line, become the world champion, it's an incredible feeling because suddenly you realize the pressure that you've been under. It's like physically and mentally, something just absolutely lifts from your shoulders. And then you would suddenly, certainly on that day, become overcome with emotion because suddenly you realize the pressure that you've carried for the previous 11 months and the intensity and the scrutiny that comes with and just the pure amount of hard work and the mentally how taxing that is because in this business, you're judged in everything that you do extremely publicly. So suddenly, it's like a huge release. Your body just, you can literally feel a lightness coming about you that suddenly this huge pressure, this huge weight has been lifted. And it was an unbelievable feeling, an emotional feeling, because it was an emotional roller coaster. And it wasn't just about that year, it was about the years building up to that moment in time. And I think, you know, the British, we're all a bit stiff off our lip and, you know, hide your emotions. And I think that sometimes you've got to let that go, you've got to feel and embrace the moment. And I think the first time we won the championship in 2010, again, it was that first time you're going through that emotions and the fact that there was four drivers going into that final Grand Prix, capable of winning the championship. And for your guy to come out on top was just a feeling of absolute elation. You know, and then to celebrate with the team and to see the joy that it brings to every member of the team, I think it's hugely important, but quickly that then changes into, okay, you know, that's done. Focus on the next race, the next season, the next challenge. So it's always looking forward rather than backwards. Enjoy the moment, bank it and move on. When you're at the top, you know, everybody's, you're in everybody's eye line and everybody wants to knock you off that top spot. So I think being the hunter is always easier when you're doing the chasing, when the expectation isn't there than being the hunted, where suddenly you've got that added pressure of expectation. It's the fear of failure. It's never enough. You know, there's always that fear of, well, we won on the weekend, but do we have a few little niggling, reliability issues? Will we be as competitive at the next track?