Christian Horner’s first title winner banned after being ‘1000%’ over drug limit

Christian Horner’s first taste of championship success was taken away from him when his driver Tomáš Enge tested 1,000% over the drugs limit.

After his driving career was over, Horner began management in Formula 3000 and without the kind of budget Red Bull gives him these days, Horner had to think outside of the box to stand a chance of success.

That outside the box thinking resulted in the hiring of Enge who had just completed three races in the 2001 Formula 1 championship.

Christian Horner reveals drugs test failure of title winner

Enge proved to be a success, winning three races including one at the Red Bull Ring but his title tilt went off the rails following round 10 at the Hungaroring.

The Czech driver failed a drugs test and subsequently had his winning time deleted, costing him the points he would need to win the title.

“We weren’t [the most well funded team] and in 2002 we were properly on the limit,” he told the Eff Won with DRS podcast. “But I thought you know what if it’s s**t or bust I’ve got to put a driver in that can be capable of winning it.

“Of course the good guys never have any money so there was this driver out of Formula 1, Czech guy, and he won the championship that year.

“He beat drivers like Sébastien Bourdais that came over here and then he got excluded for being drug tested. 1,000% over the legal drug limit.”

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You may expect a racing driver caught taking drugs to be on something to enhance their senses but it was the opposite for Enge as he tested positive for marijuana.

“I spoke to his manager and I said ‘Look, we’ve got a bit of a problem. He tested positive for drugs,’ Horner recalled. “And his manager said ‘well, he must have inhaled it. He’s been in a club’ or something like that.

“So anyway, he made three of his employees sit in a room while three others blew smoke at them and then go and get tested.

“Other than having sore eyes, they didn’t even register. So then it turns out that the guy had been taking a medication for some back spasms from a big crash that he had in Japan and he had a Czech trainer that was just giving him these pills. He had been on it for years.”

While it was disappointment for Enge, Horner’s team Arden did at least win the Constructors’ title.

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