SimplyAbuDhabi XLII

ChristianHorner: It’s the fear of failure that drives you forwards The Red Bull team principal tells us how he is proud to do things differently from his fiercest rivals. C hristian Horner can recall with perfect clarity the scene that greeted him when he was appointed Red Bull’s team principal. The previous management had been sent off less than an hour before Horner, only 31 at the time, was introduced to the shell-shocked staff and shown to his new office. He describes a tense undercurrent, with departments all blaming each other. It is a markedly different atmosphere that permeates Red Bull’s factory in Milton Keynes nowadays, the vast ground covered since early 2005 encap- sulated by the wall of trophies that dominates the main entrance. “It’s gone like that,” says Horner, 49, snapping his fingers, although his enthusiasm should hardly be a surprise. Red Bull are at the peak of their pomp, having won 20 of the 25 races since Max Verstappen’s victory over Lewis Hamilton to seal the championship in Abu Dhabi in 2021. Across the grid, even the opposition has to acknowl- edge Red Bull’s oppressive dominance. “I’ve never seen a car so fast,” Hamilton said. Horner says: “The team have produced a great car. It’s the best start we’ve ever had [to a season], but I never get carried away. Things can change so quickly.” Almost everything in Formula One revolves around constant evolution. The teams and their drivers toil after infinitesimal margins in the hope of gleaning just a millisecond’s edge. All that remains the same is the sense of culture that binds those people together. Simply Abu Dhabi | 125