Horner takes swipe at modern F1 bosses as he singles out Wolff and Brown
Photo: Race Pictures
Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes most modern F1 team principals are employees “obsessed with self-preservation,” in a comparison to “old-school” leaders such as himself and Mercedes’ Toto Wolff.
Horner, who departed Red Bull in July 2025 after two decades in charge, has said the title of Team Principal has "morphed into something very different," citing a lack of decision makers holding a direct stake in the teams they represent.
Speaking in an interview with Autosport, Horner singled out himself, as well as long-time rival Wolff and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, as the last of the F1 leaders to have an "old-school" approach.
Horner said: "It's very different to what a team principal is today in many respects. If I look around the room just before I left Formula 1, I would probably say there was only Toto and myself, and to a degree Zak, as the old-school type of team leader."
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When asked whether team principals have become "employees," rather than leaders with the personality of the former Red Bull man, or the Silver Arrows boss, Horner agreed, but also suggested team bosses are increasingly focused on their own interests.
"Largely they are, but they're also obsessed with self-preservation and competitiveness of their own entity," Horner explained. "And I think that's what Formula 1 has lost, is that it's not the stakeholders in the room now that are making decisions."
According to the man himself, Horner's return to the sport depends on whether he can acquire a stake in an F1 team, with the 52-year-clarifying recent comments over a "dream" move to Ferrari in a separate interview with The Guardian. Horner said his next move would be "with ownership attached to it," while admitting the Scuderia "aren't going to sell shares."
Horner reveals panic attacks and questions ‘brutal’ Red Bull exit
Photo: Race Pictures
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Speaking to The Guardian, Horner has also opened up about the personal toll of his departure from Red Bull, revealing that he suffered panic attacks and struggled with the loss of the identity he had built during two decades leading the Formula 1 team.
“I didn’t know what it was. You suddenly feel dizzy and conscious of your breathing and you think there’s something strange going on,” he said.
The Briton initially believed the episode was caused by coffee and oppressive weather. But when it happened again, he sought medical advice and was told that anxiety could be responsible. He said he can now recognise the symptoms and manage his breathing.
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