
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has said his passion for F1 never wavered during a “challenging” 2024 campaign, which resulted in another Drivers’ Championship win for Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive World Championship win in F1 2024, weathering a tougher season in which Red Bull’s early dominance gave way to chasing faster cars in the latter half of the championship.
Christian Horner: There was a lot to deal with in F1 2024
Aside from the on-track matters of trying to keep on top of the performance of the RB20 in a season where the development path went awry, Horner had other off-track matters to deal with throughout the season.
Along with the headline-grabbing internal investigation that kick-started 2024, Red Bull had to plan for the future as chief technical officer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley both handed in their notice to take up new challenges – Newey leaving to join Aston Martin as managing technical partner and Wheatley to take up a team leadership role at Sauber/Audi.
With further pressure placed on the team as speculation about the future of Verstappen, who was openly courted by Mercedes in a bid to secure his services as Lewis Hamilton’s successor, there was also the occasional flare-up of tensions between Horner and Verstappen’s father Jos – the Dutchman having made his position clear on Horner by calling for his job early in the season.
But Red Bull came through the distractions to secure another title, although the Constructors’ Championship eventually eluded them – McLaren and Ferrari’s more consistent driver pairings proving to have the measure of Red Bull as Sergio Perez struggled for form.
Sitting down for a review of the F1 2024 season, Horner focused on the positive aspects first and foremost.
He told PlanetF1.com: “Reflecting on a year where we won nine races, had nine pole positions, four sprint race victories, and defended the Drivers’ Championship with two rounds to go…
“It’s testimony to how Max has driven this year, but also to the team, and never giving up – remaining focused on on-track performance.”
The off-track distractions never took away from the team’s performance, Horner said, who said his love of F1 never wavered in the face of adversity throughout the season.
“It certainly was a very challenging year,” he admitted.
“There was a lot to deal with but we always remained focused on on-track.
“Obviously, we’ve had a few changes in the team, as well, but we’re evolving for the future, and I think we’re in good shape for that.
“My passion has always been the competition. That’s what I get out of bed for. Once a racer, always a racer. When the lights go out, that’s what it’s all about.”
With Horner having to contend with headline after headline focusing on him, all while his team’s performance was caught and surpassed by McLaren and Ferrari, the 51-year-old denied the thought of walking away from F1 had ever occurred to him.
“I’ve never, ever had that thought cross my mind, to be honest with you,” he said.
“There’s a very exciting next chapter coming up with Red Bull Powertrains – it’s the biggest challenge we’ve taken on in the 20 years that we’ve been in the sport. I think the next chapter is potentially one of the most exciting chapters.
“You’re always learning in this business.”
It’s in this temerity and resilience that Horner said he’s taken away a huge lesson from this season, which he said represented a very different challenge to other campaigns Red Bull has emerged from with triumph.
“You never give up, you ignore the noise that your rivals may cause, and you just focus on yourselves,” he said.
“I think the biggest lesson is we have tremendous strength and depth in this team and a very passionate, committed group of people who have stuck together this year and worked through thick and thin.
“Max has had, in many respects, his most impressive championship, because the challenges have been entirely different. We started the season with a very dominant car, but he’s really had to roll his sleeves up and fight very hard for every win, every point on the days he couldn’t win.
“Even at his home race, he banked the points for second. He’s driven a very mature campaign, and he’s worked entirely with his engineers and you know, the staff behind the scenes.”
More on Christian Horner and Red Bull
👉 Inside Red Bull: Christian Horner and the other major players in Red Bull’s hierarchy
👉 F1 team principals’ rich list: Net worth figures revealed for Wolff, Horner and more
Along with Newey and Wheatley’s moves, head of strategy Will Courtenay has also signaled his intent to leave as he takes up a new role as sporting director at McLaren – Hannah Schmitz steps up in this regard.
With technical director Pierre Waché – who has been with the team since 2013 and becoming technical director in ’18 – stepping up to lead the technical operations of Red Bull, other changes include Stephen Knowles and Richard Wolverson handling the duties of Wheatley.
Horner has often pointed to the “strength and depth” in Red Bull’s operations, which he said became apparent in late 2024 as the RB20 – which had fallen off the boil in the immediate aftermath of Newey’s departure – became more competitive again after the team took a step back to identify its performance issues.
“Of course, it’s sad to see Adrian leave – he’s been instrumental in the role played in the team during his time with us, but it was just coincidence that the weekend that he announced his departure was that weekend where we saw a bit of a dip!” Horner said.
“No one individual can have that impact so quickly. I think Adrian would be the first to admit that.
“But I think what I’ve been really pleased with is how the team recovered at the back end of the year – pole position and the race win in Qatar, which would have been unimaginable in late August, early September time.”
Separate from the personnel changes, Red Bull’s burgeoning power unit project Red Bull Powertrains is also heading into its final year of preparation before entering competition next season.
F1 2025, along with last season, therefore represents a transitionary phase for Red Bull, Horner said, who believes there’s no reason why Red Bull’s recent successes can’t continue.
“2026 will be a complete reset, and building your own power unit, four years ago, we had a clean sheet of paper,” he said.
“In four years, we built a factory and developed an engine, but we’re taking on 75 years of experience with Ferrari and 30 years with HPP (Mercedes High-Performance Powertrains), so we have no illusions.
“The mountain that we have to climb is immense, but, with the right spirit, and the right quality people that we have within the business, it will be achievable.
“It’s by far the biggest challenge that we’ve taken on in Formula 1.”
Read Next: McLaren warn Red Bull ‘full consequences’ await in F1 2025 season