Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner will embark on the 18th Season with the team. Horner is currently the longest-serving Team boss in the grid, having stayed with Red Bull since its inception.
Horner completed the takeover from Eddie Jordan and transitioned the team from a backmarker to a Championship contender. Today the Milton Keynes outfit ranks higher than established legacy teams like McLaren and Ferrari.
While Horner has stayed, Ferrari has had a revolving door of bosses. The Maranello team has seen 6 team Principals ascend to the position but hasn’t won a driver’s title in the last 17 years.
Jean Todt: 1993-2007#F1 #Autosport #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/MkwCsw2r9H
— Autosport (@autosport) November 29, 2022
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya feels Horner’s success is on par with the legendary Jean Todt. And the lack of stable leadership is why Ferrari is unable to win titles like Red Bull.
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Montoya claims Christian Horner is for Red Bull what Jean Todt was for Ferrari
Under Christian Horner, Red Bull has achieved 5 Constructors championships and 6 Drivers Championship titles. This rightfully puts him on the list of F1’s most successful team bosses alongside the likes of Ron Dennis, Sir Frank Williams, Toto Wolff and Jean Todt.
According to Montoya, Horner’s leadership is the key ingredient in Red Bull’s rise. And the stability at the top is another factor, something Ferrari has lacked.
The politics within Ferrari has been notoriously harsh on its team bosses in the past. And the pressure of new boss Fred Vassuer won’t be any different claims the Columbian.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner took charge in 2005 and have changed this team completely #F1 #RedBullRacing #ChristianHorner pic.twitter.com/sFzXJG1p3H
— Sportskeeda F1 (@SportskeedaF1) January 25, 2023
Montoya felt, “One of the tricky things about Ferrari is that no one there feels secure in their job. Everyone seems to be waiting for you to do something wrong so you can get fired.”
The absence of such politics is the key reason why teams like Mercedes and Red Bull have enjoyed their recent runs of success. This shows how important leadership stability is for a team to remain at the top.
“If you watch Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, you know they stay where they are. But when it comes to the Ferrari team boss, the question is how long that person will last.”
Horner rejected Ferrari’s job in 2021
Christian Horner was considered by Ferrari as Mattia Binotto’s replacement back in 2021. The team were looking to sack Binotto a year prior. But Horner rejected the offer because he sensed “Too many egos.”
Montoya resonated with Horner, agreeing that internal politics has harmed the team. Whenever someone succeeds, they are conspired to fall back down.
And that’s Montoya claims it was a good idea to bring back Jean Todt. Bringing back Todt was an ideal choice as he has experienced winning with the team and is revered within Ferrari.
️ ” ?”
️ “Not really…”
Christian Horner has distanced himself from reports linking him with the Ferrari team principal role ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZtMvLXSHzi
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) December 5, 2022
Montoya expressed, “Jean Todt would have been my choice. I don’t know if he would have wanted to do it, but at least he has shown in the past that he can get things done. And everyone has so much respect for him that they won’t screw him.”
Todt served the role of Ferrari’s Team Principal for 14 years between 1993 and 2007. He oversaw Ferrari’s golden years between 2000 and 2004 when Michael Schumacher won 5 consecutive titles.
Since Jean Todt stepped down in 2007, no Ferrari driver has won the Drivers title. Ferrari’s last champion was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and their last constructor’s championship win was in 2008.
