Christian Horner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian Horner
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Horner in 2017
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Christian Edward Johnston Horner
16 November 1973 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England
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Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born November 16, 1973) is a British expert in motorsport and a former racing driver. Since 2005, Christian Horner has been the team boss and CEO of Red Bull Racing in Formula One. Under his leadership, the team has won six World Constructors' Championship titles between 2010 and 2023.
He started his career as a racing driver. He even won a race in British Formula Renault. Later, he became a team manager. He led the International Formula 3000 team Arden International, which he helped create in 1997.
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Early Life and School
Christian Edward Johnston Horner was born on November 16, 1973. His family was already involved in the car industry. His grandfather worked for a car company, and his father supplied car parts.
Christian went to Arnold Lodge School in Leamington Spa. Then he studied at Warwick School. He has two brothers, Jamie and Guy.
Racing Driver Days
Christian Horner began his racing journey in karts. His car racing career started in 1991 when he won a special scholarship. In 1992, he raced in the British Formula Renault Championship. He won a race and was the best new driver that year.
He then moved up to British Formula Three in 1993. He finished second in his class and won five races. He continued racing in Formula Three until 1996. In 1996, he also raced in British Formula Two.
In 1997, Horner moved to International Formula 3000. This is when he started his own team, Arden. He borrowed money, including from his father, to set up the team. He even bought a used trailer from Helmut Marko, who would later become his colleague at Red Bull.
Horner continued to race in F3000 in 1998. During a practice session, he realized he couldn't drive as fast as some other top drivers. He decided to stop racing himself at the end of that season. He wanted to focus all his energy on making his Arden team successful.
Leading a Racing Team
After he stopped driving at age 25, Christian Horner focused on his Arden team. He hired new drivers for the 1999 season. For a short time, a Russian oil company bought half of Arden. But Horner bought back their share after one season.
His team did very well in the early 2000s. In 2002, Arden won the Team Championship in Formula 3000. One of his drivers, Tomáš Enge, won the drivers' title that year. However, Enge lost his title due to a failed drug test.
In 2003, another Arden driver, Björn Wirdheim, won the F3000 title easily. Arden also won the Team Championship again. The final F3000 season in 2004 was dominated by Arden. Their main driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi, won the drivers' title. The team also won the Constructors' Championship by a large amount. Liuzzi was brought to the team by his manager, Helmut Marko, with support from Red Bull.
By 2004, Horner wanted to move into Formula One. He talked about buying the Jordan Grand Prix team, but it didn't work out. Then, in November 2004, the energy drink company Red Bull bought the Jaguar F1 Team. This team became Red Bull Racing.
In January 2005, Christian Horner was chosen to lead Red Bull Racing. He became the youngest team boss in Formula One at that time. Even though he was appointed only eight weeks before the first race, the team started strong. Their drivers, David Coulthard and Christian Klien, finished well in Australia. The team scored many more points than Jaguar had the year before. Horner also helped bring Adrian Newey, a very talented car designer, to the team in late 2005.
The year 2006 was a change-over year. The car was already designed before Newey started. The team also switched to Ferrari engines, which had some problems. But the team still got its first podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. To celebrate, Horner famously jumped into a swimming pool wearing only a Superman cape!
In 2007, the team got its first car designed by Newey, the RB3. They also started using Renault engines. However, the cars often broke down, and the team dropped to seventh place.
Things improved a lot in 2009. The team finished second in the Constructors' Championship. Their drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, won six races together.
In 2010, Red Bull Racing won their first Constructors' Championship! Sebastian Vettel also won the Drivers' Championship in the very last race. He became the youngest World Champion. At 35, Horner was the second youngest team boss to win a Formula 1 Constructors' Championship.
The team continued its winning streak:
- In 2011, they won their second Constructors' Championship. Sebastian Vettel became the youngest double-champion.
- In 2012, they won their third Constructors' Championship. Vettel became the youngest triple World Champion.
- In 2013, Red Bull Racing won its fourth straight F1 Constructors' Championship. Vettel won his fourth Drivers' Championship.
After a few years, Red Bull Racing returned to the top:
- In 2021, Red Bull Racing finished second in the Constructors' Championship. Their driver, Max Verstappen, won his first F1 Drivers' Championship in the final race.
- In 2022, Red Bull Racing won the F1 Constructors' Championship again. Max Verstappen also won the F1 Drivers' Championship, and Sergio Pérez finished third.
- In 2023, Red Bull Racing won the F1 Constructors' Championship for the sixth time. Max Verstappen won his third F1 Drivers' Championship, and Sergio Pérez finished second. This was the first time Red Bull Racing had drivers finish first and second in the Drivers' Championship.
Family Life
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Christian Horner was in a relationship with Beverley Allen from 1999 to 2013. They had a daughter in October 2013. They separated a few months later.
Horner and Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell announced they were getting married in November 2014. They got married on May 15, 2015. Their son was born in January 2017. Christian is also a stepfather to Geri's daughter, Bluebell Madonna.
Christian Horner is a fan of the Coventry City F.C. football team.
Awards and Recognition
Christian Horner has received special awards for his work in motorsport:
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013.
- He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Horner para niños
