Christian Horner: The Secret To Red Bull's Winning Culture

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner tell's his full story 🔥
Christian Horner is the Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing. He began his motorsport career behind the wheel, working his way up to Formula 3000 before swapping the cockpit for a different driving seat - as the boss of his own team, Arden International.
After guiding Arden to three team titles, Horner was brought in to lead the new Red Bull Racing Team following the Austrian drinks company’s decision to enter Formula 1 in 2005.
Then the youngest team principal in the sport, Horner brought renowned designer Adrian Newey to the team at the end of Red Bull’s first season and after three further years of growth the emerging team signalled its arrival with a first grand prix win at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix.
Horner led the team to its first Drivers’ and Constructors’ double the following season, (with Sebastian Vettel at the wheel of the RB6), after which he cemented the team’s place in the top echelon of F1 by taking three consecutive title doubles from 2011-2013. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2013 for his services to motorsport.
Though the team continued to win races, the arrival of hybrid power in F1 in 2014 marked the end of Red Bull Racing’s first period of dominance. However, Horner once again led the team back to championship glory in 2021, with Max Verstappen winning his first Drivers’ crown and the team’s ninth title. Horner now stands as Formula 1’s longest serving Team Principal.
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Timestamps ⏱
00:10​​​ What is high performance
01:30 Approach to life
20:00 Building a team
26:22 Addressing Red Bull for the first time
34:11 Being an optimist
37:42 Maintaining motivation
46:12 Advice from the inner circle
49:03 Creating a culture at Red Bull
55:41 Quickfire questions
About:
The High Performance Podcast offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of high-achieving, successful individuals. It doesn’t matter where our guest has excelled - in sport, music, business or entertainment - they all have first-hand experiences and lessons to share. Find out what non-negotiable behaviours they employed to get them to the top, and keep them there.
Hosting every conversation is sports broadcaster Jake Humphrey and leading organisational psychologist Professor Damian Hughes. Jake is currently BT Sport’s Premier League anchor and former face of BBC’s Formula One coverage. Damian continues to work with leading sports organisations and teams to create a high performing culture.
For more episodes of the podcast, listen here: www.podfollow.com/highperformance
#highperformancepodcast​ #RedbullRacing #ChristianHorner​ #F1

[@shantanuyadav441]

So many comments hating on Toto, under this excellent podcast with Christian. I don't get why we have to hate on one person to appreciate the other. If anything, I'd say they're both pretty similar: superb leaders, super-competitive, driven and clear-headed, and both extremely successful in an unforgiving sport. Christian is articulate and loves ruffling some feathers, and gets a bad rap as a result. I'd honestly love to listen to them both talk at length.

[@MaxRank]

Toto and Christian are actually very similar beasts in terms of drive and motivation. Both are masters of team building and people management, both raced cars and both are true petrol heads.

[@RFord2]

51:25

[@Trojan7575]

It's what it's all about . Alway was,always will

[@sarathguttikonda4065]

100%

[@Trojan7575]

@sarathguttikonda4065 nah #TotoWolf nor #Horner are not the problem. It's how crp #F1 has turned into it endurance sport when it's meant to be a sprint! It's kinda like turning up to watch the #Olympics 100 meters but getting the Marathon, both have their place but 1 is boring, and 1 is exciting.

[@missbond7345]

I always felt Horner was a leader who built things ground up and loves to retain the best around him, be it aerodynamics, engine manufactures , drivers , strategists, put crew etc. Says a lot about the guy leading if the best don’t fight to leave but are willing to stay. Even ex drivers still hang around him. That says a lot about the guy leading the team. It also helps he is sarcastic & witty. Hands down better than any other principal

[@captaintoyota3171]

I mean dude basically taught himself how to run a race team as a teenager/young adult so yeah

[@9adriano21]

Wow, Christian needs to write a book on leadership… I want to know more!

[@hangingchad_]

I'm sure he will, one day. But he's a little busy at the moment :)

[@hangingchad_]

But I agree, I would love to hear about what he's learned throughout his career. It would be fascinating.

[@asrulhadiamir]

Agreed

[@harlyslamm2888]

I read Toto's book, it was fascinating! It started something like this... Steps to becoming successful in F1 1) Buy a successful team 2) Take credit for everyone's hard work 3) act like a movie star 4) Be ready to blame the governing body when you fail...

[@Paul_C]

​@@harlyslamm2888 eh, in Toto's case it is true, not in Horners case. Jaguar was sold for the princely price of 1 pound. And it took time and about 500 million to build up.

[@midas7394]

It's always a privileged to watch a Christian Horner interview as he has a natural charisma that makes his team want to perform better than their best all the time. Being able to focus and optimize on all sides of the business at once while allowing the team the ability to gel together to create the ultimate, virtually unbeatable team.😁☺ Thanks for sharing.

[@MaddogMD82]

This season has seen a huge shift in mentality for both Toto and Christian. Toto appears to be unravelling while Christian is somehow becoming more likeable. What universe have I slipped into!?

[@martinuso7446]

As Christian sort of states, its a whole lot easier going up then going down. (winning versus suddenly not winning) Toto never experienced this. And deep in their hearts they all (Mercedes) know their time in the sun is over. That was very obvious after RedBull's win this weekends in France.

[@alexanderkofoed9891]

Reality

[@richboy900]

It's true, Christian tells it how it is and is quite a character. I find toto is more like an evil and lying politician

[@MindfulnessGamer]

This hasn’t aged well. Horner and red bull coming across as desperate now after the british Grand Prix trying to get Hamilton banned for a racing incident.

[@darkspeinwarrior]

Well, after Abu Dhabi, we now know Red Bull are cheats.

[@its_only_karma7440]

He was with RB from day 1 went through thick and thin with them and never backed down even after heading into the hybrid era with a bad engine they still pulled through that's commitment

[@L77yma]

The man's a Bond Villain, ruthless and probably the next Chelsea owner.

[@mamavswild]

You didn’t even listen…and yes, Toto is a Bond Villain.

[@gekkehansie]

the next Chelsea owner?? ther's too much brains in his head...

[@declanfarrell599]

What a joy. Great interview, you get such a sense that he does everything he said consistently. He epitomises what a high achiever is yet has the integrity and self awareness to consistently improve. Excellent, striking similarities between Christian and Toto.

[@MrEd94]

You can't be for real mate?

[@ezras4216]

To my opinion this man is the best manager ever was in F1, even better than Ron Dennis. He is leading a team that everything is clocking there fantastically for all over his years as a team leader, and as a such manager he deserves to be a champion in every year.

[@powlokswops2442]

Hello, my opinion is that Toto Wolff is the best manager ever in F1. Jean Todt, Ron Dennis, Frank Williams and many others, are better than Horner.

[@paperplane-db8qf]

Best team principal is Ross Brawn no contest. Winning with Benneton. Dominating with Ferrari after a Ferrari had a massive slump. Winning the titles with his own team. Setting up Mercedes to dominate the hybrid era. Every team he’s managed win titles or was setup to win titles. If Ferrari hired Ross Brawn as TP they would be winning championships by 2026. Horner, Toto, Ron Dennis have only had success at one team and in Horners case most of that is down to Newey.

[@midas7394]

Christian's unique ability is that he is able to motivate his team to visualize the impossible and then work together to create the impossible. Christian performs the essential link that gives all departments the incentive to push the development limits within FIA rules, as a team. Thanks for sharing.

[@timhuisman3077]

Indeed

[@racechassis]

Alex and Toto really need to Stop disliking Christian's videos. 🤷‍♂️

[@The-walloper]

and gasly😂

[@lemoi08]

Kvyat is the one who is really done with red bull.. he wont even drink the stuff anymore and fair play to him

[@speeddemon2901]

I know it's a joke but albon still enjoys his life in redbull... He said that he is lucky to drive that car....

[@fitazz5378]

The videos of the podcast contribute so much, getting to see their body language, expressions can be vital in understanding a person

[@petrolene_performancecoach]

Probably the best Team principle of an F1 team we will see in our lifetime.

[@Trojan7575]

Erm run that by me again, maybe your to young to remember @JohnTodd or @RossBruann? YOU know the team principal (Todd) and legendary Chief Racing Engineer (Braunn) of a little-known certain Italian sports and Racecar manufacturer

[@paperplane-db8qf]

Ross Brawn is far better tbh. Every team he was TP has won titles or setup to dominate (Mercedes). He even won with his own team. 4 different teams won at least one championship because of him. Horner also has Newey.

[@WillemWagenmakersWiWaG]

"You won't get anywhere in life through being conservative" .... Thank You ! 🙂

[@edvin884]

He sounds like a boss that you love and hate. Like a boss that pushes you to your max, while at the same time having your back to even go over your limits. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe not. I had a comander in the army like that. "You have your orders, you know what you have to do, but if you mess up I'm here".

[@MrRLO8]

Christian is such an inspiration, deserves way more respect.

[@stanleykapeta3312]

Love you guys ❤️🔥I binge listen on Google podcast every morning, truly inspiring

[@Will-sp6st]

What a pod! Seeing a general in one of my favourite sports on one of my favourite podcasts! 🙌🙌

[@rebeccachua5191]

Newey, Horner and Vettel were a dream team 💙

[@teamcoalhapcharcoal]

Evidence suggests VER is the better third wheel

[@cel-o-comento]

VERY NICE APPROACH TO AN APPROACHABLE PERSON. THE HUMAN SIDE OF A HI-TECH ORGANIZATION. CONGRATS

[@hyakushiki9438]

This mindset just brought home another World Drivers Championship and, inevitably, a new Constructor Cup!

[@MrStefmeister]

Christian would be one of a perfect world leader as we look at the current situations in the world! Christian has ears for his people, and does something with that information. Perfect manager! cant say that from our current leaders.

[@Phantom096]

Nice to see him happy again and leading the Championship! That’s why he is great because he was a driver himself.

[@MrEd94]

No he wasn't.

[@Phantom096]

@@MrEd94 kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2alop1jr7ySjLs

[@hectornecromancer5308]

@@MrEd94 to be exact, not anymore

[@Lowdo1549]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one! Thank you.

[@F1SimulatorManiac]

Great great talk. I've always admired Christian. Thanks for this interview

[@chrislj2005]

Ex-ce-llent material! Thanks for keeping this free!

[@RamachandranKN_87]

Excellent interview! Something that we'll all likely come back to once in a while to pick up some nuggets of gold.

[@acid1910]

Such an intelligent man. The hate against him is absolutely undeserved - I love him!

[@atrxis]

Awesome interview. Thank you guys for doing this!

[@Kmotorsports]

Huge thanks for this amazing podcast :)

[@petiertje]

Let me turn around and say, well done Christian. You've build an incredible team of people who perform at an incredibly high level consistently.

[@SamMartinPeakPerformance]

Loved this one - he's great in the Netflix series

[@Bale4Bond]

At being a vindictive twat, yes. Successfull guy nonetheless. I can respect that.

[@timdev615]

@@Bale4Bond I think you're a twat, but you posted a comment. I can respect that.

[@pknivett]

Great video, useful insight into the ongoing success of RBR. Thank you so much, more please.

[@nath7398]

Don Christian, what a leader 💛❤️

[@AndreiAntonGodeanu]

Great interview. Christian is such a great model

[@mohho3488]

Interesting....simple lesson but so practical....thanks mate!!

[@Tony26971]

Christian has such a nice voice

[@damianschendzielorz9085]

A great interview, I really enjoyed that! It has to be awesome to have him as your boss.

[@robertgold2378]

There you can sdudy how to be real fake!

[@CarlosPerozo3]

Great interview with Christian!👏

[@mc_0726]

Interesting to hear him describing the Renault chairman of the time ‘his heart wasn’t in F1’ when asked about how the engine issue affected their morale. Perhaps that could explain the long term issue with the Renault engine because they are simply not putting effort into improving it.

[@Bigchuckers]

Only success has come with Briatore, Symonds, Schumacher and Alonso.

[@surrealtom]

@@Bigchuckers You're forgetting the Renault of the 80s and early 90s - both as a manufacturers team and an engine supplier.

[@nightwi5h959]

That's my evening sorted

[@josvanzetten]

Thanks for this podcast. Christian is a verry inspiring person. Hope he and the team will perform well. 🇳🇱

[@ahairyhaggis1449]

Great insight. Well done guys

[@the_fleeing_dutchman]

Excellent interview! Christian is an inspiring leader. Thanks for uploading this!

[@hindlem8]

Loved that!!!

[@declanryan2625]

A great listen.

[@jaytmtb]

Christian seems like a really cool guy, especially on race day

[@MrMits99]

Another great interview

[@J_8867]

Fantastic interview!

[@juliansuarezlopera]

Great interview, and I didn't expect the reference to Juan Montoya :-)

[@jameschan8178]

Enjoyable podcast, love from Malaysia!

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

Thanks for watching!

[@piaspias3115]

excellent interview, good man(ager) !

[@matthewyaron5827]

That was so Good!!!

[@DJIJrdan]

Absolutely loved this. My only negative is that it wasn't long enough! (greedy i know) Christian is such a down to earth guy. Keep up the cracking podcasts.

[@PavolNeruda]

Very, very good questions. 👍

[@pmaximus100]

Fantastic interview. It was great to see Christian speaking candidly and sharing his outlook on leadership. Much to learn from his style!

[@DecPatterson]

Great Listen! Would love to see some more F1 content

[@NarenHarwani]

Abso-freaking-lutely loved this podcast. Thank you team High performance 🙂

[@morning_star8230]

Eyy twitter lingo guy hows f1 twitter? Has been 1 year since i left that toxic hell haha i hope the environment there has improved a bit/become more friendly

[@angiesamgulliver554]

Brilliance thanks

[@luckyprod9013]

wonderful !

[@CJ-gp9yh]

Awesome interview

[@arjandeboer651]

Sooooo impressive! Learned a lot from this interview. What an inspiring guy this is.

[@andrewmalcolm388]

Brilliant Episode! Have to Respect Christian Horner and everything he’s done at Red Bull. First Class Team!

[@rebeccachua5191]

Real Belief Racing 👍

[@rebeccachua5191]

Passed the trailer test with flying colours 👍

[@juliogomez95]

What a podcast ! So difficult to put in words the motivation it's makes me feel! Definitely I'll try to apply what I learned from this video from now

[@fabianfabianfabianpg]

I liked a lot the interview but like even more the approach. HiPerformance forma continuos learning approach. Kudos. I am going to explore the channel!

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@shanemolloy2824]

Getting the pizzas in for the mechanics. Jobs a goodun!

[@nikylenaicker8331]

You guys consistently put out the most insightful and interesting content, thank you!

[@Hoskins222]

Really likeable fella, brilliant.

[@elcordinho2202]

great interview

[@bizling]

For anyone local to Banbury,Leamington Spa,Cheltenham, etc; get to Shennington on a Sunday to watch the racing, £some money to watch but a great track.

[@marsmaker3667]

After watching this interview of Horner, especially about his experience from running a junior team, I totally understand how his Red Bull team has won two spells of consecutive championships, even during the Mercedes years they were right up there, he is basically like a good chef who can make something tasty no matter what difficult or bad ingredients you throw at him.

[@bramwell9544]

Christian is a great decision maker . He was a top line driver but not formula 1 standard and he decided to switch to management. . Tough decision. Right choice .

[@Shereka2007]

Fenomenal interview! An other angle of mr Horner, ton of things to learn

[@chh4554n]

too good.

[@Omidou]

56:45 christian doing his best Wheel Gun impression

[@derickbarikder9461]

Leadership goals!! amazing personality! he needs to do more podcasts!!

[@Tgirl65able]

Goodness Jake and Damian are exceptional. This podcast is so much better than the competition.

[@glockasauruswrex6362]

In my next life I wanna work on a Team like Red Bull Racing! They get it. Hire bright, passionate people, then give them the freedom to shine. N have the most FUN while ur doing it!🎉

[@xedor2003]

Very interesting

[@hughoneill3741]

I don’t think the Netflix programme did him any favours. I understand a team boss needs to be ruthless and do what they think is best for the team but he came across as two faced, snide comments behind people’s backs, complaining about other teams and then overly upset when anyone complains about them. I did like him until that programme showed his true colours in my opinion.

[@ibazhunaishvili]

And are other team principals any different? I think it's just part of the job.

[@br88dy]

He also knows Netflix needs some juicy sound bytes and threw them a few bones lol. Netflix is growing the sport and he recognizes that.

[@jonatandehnisch202]

@@ibazhunaishvili Yes Toto for example. Felt he had a completly different leadership foundation.

[@ThmsDouglas]

@@jonatandehnisch202 Yeah right! LOL

[@ThmsDouglas]

So after watching this interview, a real interview not some over the top Netflix show you still decide to believe the way he was portrayed in Drive to Survive ? I find that a little weird to be honest knowing how Netflix purposely made many people look the way they wanted them to look for drama's sake.

[@andrewallison376]

Cheers, mates! Just getting into F1 through the Netflix series and now watching races around the world. What an interesting guy. I am a Christian Horner a d Red Bull fan. A very deep and thoughtful executive. Your interview style shows great preparation as well. Crack on! Andrew/Chicago, IL

[@Happydogleash]

Great interview 🎉

[@olivergoodwin6640]

Perhaps ask Albon, Gasly or soon to be Checo whether it's "all about the people...". It's about the results. Always the results and delivering performance.

[@ThmsDouglas]

Of course it is would you keep a driver because you like him and he's a good person yet he's not performing at the level you want? Besides they kept Albon, sure not as a 1 or 2 driver but kept him around and I heard Gasly got into it with Newey and others in very public places. Checo is still on the team so don't know what you're on about there that one makes no sense.

[@quigglyz]

Very selfish attitude. "I can't deliver results but they should pay me indefinitely cuz I want money."

[@lostandnotfound927]

17:00 literally transcends any managerial position. You will never be better equipped to nurture those under you after walking in their shoes.

[@Zermatt1]

Great interview, really insightful and some good questions

[@huguybear]

I am usually not a huge fan of achievers and people driven to success but for some reason I love listen to Christian talking, not sure why but he is always inspiring.

[@ThmsDouglas]

Why aren't you a fan of achievers? lol kind of an odd thing to say

[@karimsaad1966]

Your next podcast needs to be with Jurgen Klopp!

[@varunsa6523]

Woww ❤️

[@supawavyrecords523]

Christian Horner is a legend of the sport. Absolute chad who is one of the key reasons for Red Bull's success since entering F1. Still killing it to this day.

[@jamesfenandez4948]

Does anyone know what model mic use in this podcast?

[@MRcrissoldier]

Wow what a fascinating interview. With just 130k views, millions of people/future leaders are missing out on this. This should be on a book. Christian write a book!

[@MrCapi55]

Subscribe? What For? You young guys Exrtacted a Catalogue For Living and Achieving in this Interview. Aside, now I know why "Checo" has been brought there, Greetings from México.

[@user-wx9gl7yc8w]

Absolutely excellent !

[@doug3011]

three men all in profile. weird shot. great to hear Horner's story.

[@yogatanaya6833]

I am a ferrari fan but i'd love to see Christian's leadership style

[@gekkehansie]

ferrari got its own colourfull leader...i mean...i love ferrari but they got to get rid of that that wig......

[@jaymendes]

Wait a second. They had an agreement with Mercedes? How did the interviewers didn't pick that up?? What happened?

[@bjay_23]

i thought the same, shame they missed that

[@Odysseusdk]

Yes, but ultimately the agreement fell through. Adrian Newey speaks on it in his book: How to build a car.

[@drako3664]

This guy is great, he should manage a formula 1 team or something

[@edvin884]

17:12 that's the skill of the "middle kid"😅