“We’re a pain in the ar*e,” Christian Horner confesses Red Bull has unusual ways that offend its rivals

Christian Horner claims there was a time when the rest of the paddock did not take Red Bull seriously.

“We’re a pain in the ar*e,” Christian Horner confesses Red Bull has unusual ways that offend its rivals

Christian Horner. Image via The Chequered Flag.

Christian Horner revealed that the mentality of Red Bull Racing is the same as when they entered Formula 1 in 2005. Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian businessman, bought out the former Jaguar outfit 18 years ago. The Milton Keynes team appeared very loud and wild. However, though they seem different from then, Horner claims that not much has changed despite their success. 

Red Bull dominated the sport and collected titles between 2010 and 2013 with Sebastian Vettel. And now they are back dominating with Max Verstappen. Christian Horner admitted that when the team entered the sport, they played loud music and turned up with an “Energy station”. However, Horner felt the team wasn’t taken seriously by the others. By the end of 2005, Red Bull proved others wrong by acquiring the services of Adrian Newey. 

YouTube video

Horner stated, “It was just that we weren’t afraid to have a bit of fun along the way and express ourselves differently. That hasn’t changed, we still are the team that plays our music the loudest – we’re absolutely a pain in the arse for whoever is next to us because, for sure, some of the mechanics’ choice of music is a little bit dubious these days.”

Related: Max Verstappen predicts ‘chaos’ in Baku during the sprint race that isn’t part of the F1 DNA

Christian Horner reveals that no challenge is too great for Red Bull

Q 1682589840
Christian Horner. Image via InsideSport.IN.

The Red Bull team, boss explained that they are a different team. He added, “As a team, we’ve very much got a can-do mentality that no challenge is too great. We’d never be making our own engine if that were the case, we’d never have achieved anything that we’ve done in Formula 1. We’ve got a real sense of team, that everybody is working for each other. There’s no I in the team – it’s about a collective effort.”

Christian Horner also spoke about the obstacles the team had to overcome. Formula 1 is the most competitive sport, and Red Bull had to get into the position to fight. In five years, they turned into a championship-winning team. Though they had success for four years, the regulation change in 2014 posed a threat. Horner confessed that the team could not compete against their opponents. Hence, it was a difficult period for Red Bull.

Horner revealed that the less efficient Renault power unit could have sent the team into a “downward spiral”. But they managed to stop that and focus on what they could control. And by doing so, Red Bull won races in every season and grabbed opportunities at the circuits that would suit their car. However, once Honda came into the picture, they were back in the “hunt”. Horner feels that the team is hungry and motivated to win. 

In case you missed it: