What is it like to be the head of a championship-winning Formula 1 team and to have one of the most talented drivers like Max Verstappen? What could be the cause of Sergio Pérez's recent issues? What is his opinion on the possible arrival of the Andretti team? Christian Horner discussed these and many other topics with Roksana Ćwik before the Qatar Grand Prix.
Firstly, I would like to ask about your wife's book.
It is a fantastic book. I read it on the way to Singapore. She has been writing it for seven years, and I'm sure it'll be a great success. It's an adventurous story about a young girl who has to have inner strength and girl power. So it's a great read, and I'm sure it'll do very well.
What is your opinion of Andretti and would you like to have this team on the Formula 1 grid?
It is really a conversation between Formula One and the FIA. They need to decide if they want to accommodate an 11th team. Can they accommodate an 11th team? What are the criteria? And then come to the teams with what that proposal looks like. So I think GM is a great brand and a great company. But is there space and the ability to do that? Or should it be in a manner that Audi and Ford have come into Formula One?
Two weeks ago, you celebrated your sixth-ever constructors' world championship with Red Bull. Are you proud of this achievement and of the fact that your team is still on top?
Yeah, I am super proud of everything that the team has achieved. We have achieved that sixth Constructors' Championship, our 12th title so far. And we have a chance to win a 13th title tomorrow. So it's been an amazing season for us, and hopefully we can win a few more races.
You are one of the most successful team principals in F1 history. What is the secret to beating all the other teams and being at the very top?
I think it's a people's sport and I think it's getting the best out of people and having the right people in the right positions. I'm very privileged to work with a great group of people. F1 is the biggest team sport in the world.
Aren't you tired of the comments that Red Bull is too strong, that Max is too fast?
To be honest with you, I see it as a compliment. Of course, it's our job to build the best car that we can and have the best drivers that we can. It's a compliment if we are achieving those type of statistics.
In Japan, Red Bull showed a clever and intelligent interpretation of the regulations - I am referring to Sergio Pérez and the fact that he went out on track with many laps lost only to serve his penalty and for it not to carry over into the next race. How important is it to keep an eye on even such situations all the time and to be patient?
You've got to be sharp; you've got to be on top of your game, and I think that's one of the strengths of this team, that we are a very strong race team.
Speaking of the team, you also have Adrian Newey. Many say he is an F1 genius.
Adrian has had an incredible career, and he has done a phenomenal job with us at Red Bull, and we now have a lot of strength and depth. I think with Pierre Waché [technical director], Enrico Baldo [head of aerodynamics], Ben Waterhouse [head of performance engineering] and Craig Skinner [chief designer] we've got a really strong group of talent here.
We had the Sebastian Vettel era at Red Bull, now we have the Max Verstappen era. He came to the team as a very young driver, he is now 26. He will probably win the world championship tomorrow. Did you think he would become the kind of driver he is now?
We knew from the first day that he's an incredible talent. We're delighted to see how he's grown and developed and what he's done.
Speaking of one side of the garage, I have to ask about Sergio Pérez. Do you find it difficult to explain all that is going on with Sergio and his mixed performances in races?
I think it's very tough to be Max's teammate. I think that he's been unlucky as well in a few races. But I'm sure he'll bounce back in this last part of the season. So we've got every confidence in Sergio to do that.
Now I would like to ask about Liam Lawson because Liam is still an AlphaTauri driver here in Qatar. He has already shown from his first race that he is very fast. He doesn't show any fear. He even scored his first points and was even faster than Yuki. Nevertheless, he remained a reserve driver. Why is that?
Look, we can't fit three into two seats. If he ran three cars, he'd be in the car. But he's done a great job, everything that could be expected. He's grabbed his opportunity with both hands and made himself very attractive for the future.
Were you surprised to see how he performed on the Zandvoort circuit in difficult conditions?
In very difficult conditions, he was dropped in halfway through the weekend at a wet track, which I'm not sure if he'd raced at before. I thought he did exceptionally well. And then Singapore was a great performance. Japan, he drove well. So yeah, he's impressed everybody so far.
Speaking of Liam, I also have to ask about Daniel Ricciardo. Do we know when he will return to the grid?
He should be back in Austin. I mean, all things being normal, he will be in the car in Austin.
Before Daniel Ricciardo was announced, there was talk for a while that Liam Lawson would be the full-time driver at AlphaTauri. In the end, Daniel was chosen. Who made the final decision to choose the Australian at AlphaTauri?
It's a collective decision. Daniel is a Red Bull Racing driver. I made a recommendation, and the shareholders accepted it. So I think it was the right decision.
In Japan, you celebrated with Honda. Soon the team will be working with Ford. How much will the work ethic change with Ford, and how important is the agreement between Red Bull and Ford?
The work ethic remains the same. We were working with Ford already behind the scenes on our 2026 engine. We have a great relationship with Honda on the current engine. So they are two very different programs. And we are very excited to be producing our own engine in-house with Ford. It's going to be a big challenge, but we are confident we can do it.
Are you planning any significant changes to the car for the rest of the season?
Not really. Development has now stopped. All the focus is on next year. So it's just a matter of setup and doing the best we can with what we have.
We are now in Qatar because MotoGP has a priority in terms of choosing the season, and they have decided on a more favourable option for themselves.
Of course they did, yes.
Don't you think it will be more difficult than in Singapore because of the conditions?
It will be tough. Next year we are much later in the year, which will be nice. But it's the same for everybody. It's hot. But it's a night race, so that will help.
What is your opinion about the new tarmac and the new kerbs in Turn 4 and 12?
It's going to be interesting. We only have one practice session before Qualifying. So let's see how we go.
Earlier you said that the kerbs are the car destroyers. We asked Max yesterday, how many spare floors he had. How many of them do you have?
We don't have that many. But we've got one practice session before we go to Qualifying. So the cars are always under parc fermé pretty much through the weekend.
Thank you very much for the interview. It was an honor.
My pleasure.
