Christian Horner to reveal Red Bull story in tell-all memoir after 20 years
Christian Horner's 20-year leadership career at Red Bull will be relived in his new book, DRIVE.
Christian Horner is set to release a tell-all book about his time in charge of Red Bull, reliving the 20 years of his leadership of one of the sport’s must successful teams.
The British executive will relive the full story of his Red Bull years in a new memoir, titled DRIVE, released later this year.
Christian Horner’s Red Bull memoir to reveal 20-year Formula 1 journey
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On October 22, Christian Horner’s F1 story, so far, will be released in a blockbuster book in which he will reveal all the details of his 20 years in charge of Red Bull Racing.
From getting the call-up as a young and inexperienced leader to head up Dietrich Mateschitz’s team as Red Bull arrived in Formula 1 in 2005, Horner’s two decades saw him transform the fortunes of the former Stewart/Jaguar squad to become one of Formula 1’s most iconic, and successful, teams.
Across two separate spells of domination that made multiple world champions of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, Horner’s Red Bull won eight Drivers’ Championships, six Constructors’ Championships, and 124 of the team’s 130 Grand Prix wins – sealing both his and Red Bull’s places in the history books.
His achievements were such that he was also awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by King Charles in 2023, following on from his OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2013.
But Horner’s time in charge ended abruptly after this weekend last season, with Red Bull GmbH – now led by Mark Mateschitz and Oliver Mintzlaff following the death of Dietrich in 2022 – opting to take back marketing control of the organisation and quieten the headlines that surrounded the team.
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Plenty of questions have emerged over the year since, particularly as other prominent or long-standing team figures have left: has the succession plan put in place by the parent company been the right one? Has Red Bull lost the DNA that made it so successful?
As for Horner, his future isn’t yet known. As has been documented extensively in recent months, he has been linked with several other roles at other teams as he is known to be seeking an ownership position for his next career challenge.
A year on from his last race with Red Bull, Horner may yet prove to be a surprise guest at the British Grand Prix this weekend, bookending a tumultuous year for both himself and his former team.
Coinciding with this possible attendance, the details of his new memoir have also been released: DRIVE will tell the tale of Horner’s years of “leadership, ambition, and resilience at the highest level of global sport”.
It will tell the “inside story of how an operation acquired for £1 established itself as one of the most valuable and recognisable sports teams in the world”, as Horner reveals how some of the seismic moments in Red Bull’s history actually came to pass.
He’ll also detail the challenges of building and maintaining an elite-level team, as well as embracing the political machinations of the paddock; Horner’s savvy in this area being such that even some of his former sparring partners have grown to miss his presence.
DRIVE will tell the full account of Horner’s behind-the-scenes career, and the book has come about by way of an intense bidding war amongst several publishers.
Henry Vines of London-based Transworld Publishing has acquired the rights for the UK & Commonwealth, from Los Angeles-based CAA, and will publish the book in hardback, audiobook, and ebook: the audiobook will be narrated by Horner personally.
“Formula 1 is ultimately a people business,” Horner said of his story.
“While the sport is often defined by the cars, the victories and the championships, what stays with me most are the people, the decisions, the challenges and the extraordinary cast of characters I encountered along the way.
“This book is my reflection on an incredible 20-year journey and the many individuals who helped shape it.”
Having secured the rights to Horner’s memoirs, Vines said, “Christian has an extraordinary story to tell, and we are immensely proud to be publishing his memoir this autumn.
“Unguarded and packed with remarkable personal revelations and Formula 1 insights, Drive offers an entirely new perspective on both the man and the sport.”
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