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 Horner is a famous British motorsport leader and a former racing driver. He was born on November 16, 1973. From 2005 until July 2025, Christian Horner was the team boss and CEO of Red Bull Racing in Formula One. Under his leadership, Red Bull Racing won six World Constructors' Championship titles between 2010 and 2023.
Christian grew up in Leamington Spa, England. He started his career racing go-karts. He became a successful racing driver, winning races in British Formula Renault. Later, he switched to managing a racing team. He co-founded the International Formula 3000 team Arden International with his father in 1997.
In 2005, at 31 years old, he became the youngest team boss in Formula One history. He joined the new Red Bull Racing team. He helped bring in important people like Adrian Newey (a car designer) and Sebastian Vettel (a driver). From 2010 to 2013, Red Bull Racing became a very strong team, winning all four Constructors' and Drivers' titles. They found success again with driver Max Verstappen from 2021 to 2024. Red Bull also won the 2022 and 2023 Constructors' titles. In 2023, they won a record 21 out of 22 races!
Over 21 seasons with Christian Horner as boss, Red Bull won six World Constructors' Championships and eight World Drivers' Championships. They also won 124 Grand Prix races. This makes him the second most successful team boss in history by wins. He left Red Bull in July 2025 due to changes within the team and a drop in performance.
Early Life and Education
Christian Edward Johnston Horner was born on November 16, 1973. His family had a history in the car industry. His grandfather worked for a car company, and his father also supplied car parts.
Christian went to Arnold Lodge School and then Warwick School. He has two brothers, Jamie and Guy.
Driving Career
Christian Horner started racing go-karts. His car racing career began in 1991 when he won a scholarship for Formula Renault. 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, Christian moved to International Formula 3000. He started his own team called Arden. He borrowed money, including from his father, to set up the team. He even bought a used trailer for his team from Helmut Marko, who would later become a close colleague at Red Bull.
Christian continued to race in Formula 3000 in 1998. During a test, he realized that he couldn't drive as fast as some other top drivers. Because of this, he decided to stop driving at the end of that season. He wanted to focus on building his Arden team instead.
Team Management
After he stopped racing at age 25, Christian Horner focused on managing his Arden team. In 1999, a Russian oil company bought half of Arden, but Christian bought their share back after one season.
His team did very well in the early 2000s. In 2002, Arden won the Team Championship in FIA F3000. Their driver, Tomáš Enge, won the title but was later moved to third place. In 2003, another Arden driver, Björn Wirdheim, won the championship by a large amount. Arden also won the Team Championship again.
In 2004, Arden had a fantastic year. Their main driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi, dominated the season. With support from Robert Doornbos, Arden won both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship titles. The team won eight out of ten races that year.
By 2004, Christian Horner was looking for a chance to move into Formula One. In November 2004, the energy drink company Red Bull bought the Jaguar F1 Team. In January 2005, Christian Horner was chosen to lead the new Red Bull Racing team. He was the youngest team boss in Formula One at the time.
The team started well under his leadership. They scored many more points than the previous year. Christian also played a big part in bringing in Adrian Newey, a very talented car designer, in 2005.
The year 2006 was a time of change for the team. They switched to Ferrari engines, but these engines had problems. However, the team got its first podium finish at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. Christian celebrated by jumping into a swimming pool! In 2007, the team used their first car designed by Adrian Newey, but they still had reliability issues.
In 2009, Red Bull Racing finished second in the Constructors' Championship. Their drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, did very well. In 2010, the team won their first Constructors' Championship. Sebastian Vettel also won the Drivers' Championship, becoming the youngest World Champion. Christian Horner, at 35, was the second youngest team boss to win this title.
Red Bull Racing continued their success. They won their second Constructors' Championship in 2011, and Sebastian Vettel became the youngest double-champion. In 2012, they won their third Constructors' Championship, and Vettel became the youngest triple World Champion. In 2013, Red Bull Racing won its fourth straight Constructors' Championship, with Vettel winning his fourth Drivers' Championship.
After a few years, Red Bull Racing found success again. In 2021, Max Verstappen won his first F1 Drivers' Championship. In 2022, Red Bull Racing won the Constructors' Championship again, and Max Verstappen won the Drivers' Championship. In 2023, Red Bull Racing won their sixth Constructors' Championship. Max Verstappen won his third Drivers' Championship, and Sergio Pérez finished second. This was the first time Red Bull drivers finished first and second in the championship.
On July 9, 2025, Christian Horner left his role as team principal and CEO of Red Bull. This happened after the team's performance had declined and there were changes within the team. Laurent Mekies took over his roles.
Over 21 seasons with Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing won six World Constructors' Championships, eight World Drivers' Championships, and 124 Grand Prix races. They also achieved 107 pole positions and 287 podium finishes. His 124 wins are the second most for a team principal in Formula One history.
Personal Life
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Christian Horner has two children. He was in a relationship with Beverley Allen from 1999 to 2013, and they had a daughter in October 2013.
Christian Horner and Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell announced their engagement 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 Halliwell.
Christian Horner is a fan of the Coventry City F.C. football team.
Honours
Christian Horner has received special awards for his work in motorsport. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013. He was then appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Horner para niños
