16/11/1973
Record updated 16-Nov-21
Christian Horner is a former racing driver. He was the previous team principal for GP2 Series team Arden Motorsport and is now principal for Red Bull Racing in Formula One.
Horner's career in motorsport started in British Formula Three, his 1994 debut being with the Fortec team. He stayed in the series for the following year, this time with the ADR team, and he moved again for 1996 to the TOM's team. In 1996 he also raced in British Formula Two.
Horner moved up in to Formula 3000 in 1997, founding the Arden team. He stayed in F3000 for 1998, Horner being joined at his team by Kurt Mollekens. However, the Brit suddenly decided that running a team was more for him than driving for one, and he retired from active racing at the end of the season.
Christian, now 25, decided to continue with the team in F3000 as the owner, signing Viktor Maslov and Marc Goossens for the 1999 season. Success in the sport proved hard to find, with the team not finding a win in any of its first three seasons, Darren Manning not even being able to get one in his two seasons with the team.
An all changed driver line-up changed the situation for 2002, though, with Tomáš Enge and Björn Wirdheim brought in to replace Manning and Maslov. Enge would win the title as far as points were concerned, but a failed drugs test demoted him to third and gave the title to Sébastien Bourdais.
Wirdheim would stay in 2003, the disgraced Enge replaced by Townsend Bell, and the Swede would do what Enge couldn't and win the title officially, winning it by a huge 35 point margin to second-placed Ricardo Sperafico.
2004 would be the real glory year for Arden and Horner, though, the final F3000 season dominated by his lead driver Vitantonio Liuzzi, the support of Robert Doornbos helping to secure both the drivers and constructors championship titles by a large margin.
Horner's performance as a team principal paid off, Red Bull Racing luring him to Formula One to lead the team, and he started his career there a lot younger than any of the other team leaders in F1. In 2006, he jumped into a swimming pool wearing nothing but a Superman cape to celebrate the team's first podium finish at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix.
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