Horner on indispensable part at Red Bull: 'I’d always been a fan'

Christian Horner sees Adrian Newey as one of the main reasons Red Bull Racing's project has succeeded. When the team made the step into Formula 1 almost 20 years ago, few thought the Austrian formation could make a difference. Newey, however, brought a different dynamic to the team.

Before his Red Bull period, the 64-year-old Brit succesfully worked for Williams and McLaren, impressing the other teams. Horner soon knew that Newey could take the team forward and asked him for a move to Red Bull in 2005. He decided to accept that challenge.

"What was missing was a clear technical direction," Horner told the Talking Bull Podcast.

"I’d always been a fan of Adrian and his cars going way back to Leyton House times in the late 1980s! And Adrian was the very best that’s ever been in Formula 1, so, it was a question of how could we entice, how could we entice Adrian to join the Red Bull team."

Newey on Red Bull's strength

After enjoying a period of success with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013, Red Bull had to beat Mercedes for years. Newey stated in an earlier interview that the formation remained relaxed at the time, which allowed it to make strides. He said it helped ensure that Red Bull won the Drivers' Championship with Max Verstappen in the last two years, while it also won the Constructors' Championship in 2022.