Coulthard instantly matched with Horner: 'Never doubted him'

David Coulthard thinks Christian Horner's personal experiences in motorsport have made him one of Formula 1's better team bosses. The former Red Bull driver was a guest on the Inside Line podcast, where he analysed what makes Horner such a successful team boss.

After an unsuccessful career as a driver in Formula 3000 (predecessor of today's Formula 2), Horner decided to focus entirely on managing his own team Arden from 1999. As team boss, Horner managed to win the drivers' title twice in the competition and the constructors' title three times. With that, he had played himself into the spotlight enough to make the switch to the newly formed Red Bull Racing in 2005, where he had Coulthard as driver.

Although Coulthard was two years older than Horner and already had an impressive Formula 1 career behind him, he immediately matched well with his new team boss. " The reality is: Christian is a racer," Coulthard explains. "We came up through the British karting system, so I was aware of him, I knew of him, I'd watched him progress into cars behind my journey, and I knew of his Arden Formula 3000 team which was winning championships. To then see that Christian parachuted in as the new team principal was not at all concerning, because you need as a leader someone who understands the dynamic of racing. I had no doubt that Christian had the managerial skills to operate the team."

'Horner gives room for relaxation'

Besides Horner's history as a driver, Coulthard says there is something else that makes Horner such a successful team boss. " His human skills," says the Scot without hesitation. "Christian is a nice man. You know exactly where you stand with him. You know what he expects and you know when he expects it, but he’s also got a sense of humor and he’s got compassion which means we’re not working all the time. There is a time to relax, there is a time to reflect, there is a time to celebrate."