Christian Horner is undoubtedly one of the most decorated team principals in F1 history. During his stint, the team has collected seven Drivers and six Constructors’ Championships. However, the Briton does not have the best stats as a racing driver himself. As a result, Dutch former racer Giedo van der Garde couldn’t help but mock Horner for the same.
This topic came up during a discussion about the recent switch in personnel between Mercedes and Ferrari. As quoted by F1 Maximaal, Van der Garde highlighted how a racing past helps the bosses have a better say and control of the team. However, this reminded him of the time Horner himself used to race.
Van der Garde said, “He (Horner) used to race too. He also knows a bit about what goes on in such a car and how it goes.” However, Van der Garde added that the 50-year-old was laughed at when he used to race.
“It wasn’t very good I have to say,” the former F1 driver adds. “My old engineer always laughed at Horner. That guy didn’t know where to brake.”
The Dutchman revealed that his engineer used to stand with a stopwatch and calculate the distance before Horner had to brake. According to Van der Garde, this is what it took to help Horner go faster. The Briton himself confirmed his limitations in his recent chat on the Secrets of Success podcast.
Christian Horner once admitted his racing talents had limitations
Before becoming one of the most successful bosses in F1, just like anyone else, Christian Horner had ambitions to become an F1 driver. He started his journey just like any other driver does in the lower Formula categories.
However, after reaching a level below F2, he realized he did not have what it takes. The Briton admitted his shortcomings while appearing on the Secrets of Success podcast.
“There were lots of drivers who were better than I was. The higher you rise, the more competitive it becomes. So, I won races in the lower Formulae, but by the time I got to Formula 3000, which was a precursor to Formula 2, I recognized that my talent had limitations, and I was competing against great drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and so on, and recognize that I can’t do what they can,” he said.
After giving up on his dream of becoming a driver, he realized his interests lie in leading a team. He wanted to become a part of the pinnacle of motorsport but as a team owner and race for that side. Soon after, he received a call from Red Bull, and the rest is history.
