Racing drivers, more than driving skills, need immense courage. Ayrton Senna once said, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” This statement, to an extent, is true for Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
The 49-year-old F1 team principal was also a race driver at the peak of his youth. But he wasn’t extraordinary like his current subjects like Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Daniel Ricciardo.
The maximum racing level Horner has reached in his career has been F3000. Though he was competing for his own team Arden back then, he could have stopped racing abruptly without any explanation, and that’s what he did.
Christian Horner’s greatest motorsport achievement
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Christian Horner reveals an F1 driver was the reason behind his exit
Certain tracks require massive courage from drivers. And on one of the tracks, Horner had to find that one of the turns, but seeing Juan Pablo Montoya going over that with full commitment, he decided he couldn’t do it and ended his racing career.
“At the beginning of 1998, I drove out in the pitlane in Portugal, and there used to be a really high-speed turn,” said Horner to High-Performance Podcast. “That was one downshift straight into the corner, and there are barriers about three meters from the edge of the track. So, If you’re gonna have a crash it was gonna be a big one.”
Horner then reveals that while he exited the pitlane, he saw Montoya taking that turn with full commitment. He couldn’t believe how the Colombian planted his turn even though the ‘rim of the tire was pushing him the other way.’
Horner, at that moment, decided that he couldn’t do this. Horner’s brain wasn’t helping his foot to commit to that level of courage, so he decided to end his racing career.
Found more success in management
While Horner couldn’t find enough success as a race driver, he surely became one of the greatest team principals in the history of F1. He has led his side Red Bull to five championship wins since he joined in 2005.
This much success he couldn’t have expected in a racing career. Horner is already a living legend for Red Bull. And with this success, he has also got himself a fortune.
In 2023, Red Bull, again under him, will start the season as the favorites. Though, Ferrari and Mercedes are expected to put in a strong challenge. So like last year, it’s less likely to be a cakewalk.
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