Four titles, 27 race wins and 38 pole positions represent a rich haul for Christian Horner since he was handed the helm of Red Bull’s new F1 team in 2005 but while the glittering prizes amassed over 126 races (at the start of the 2012 season) are a source of immense pride, the Red Bull Racing Team Principal will point to the achievement of building a team capable of winning multiple championships in just seven seasons as perhaps the most satisfying aspect of his role.

Indeed, asked in a magazine interview last year to pick out the greatest lesson he has learned about management during his career Horner was quick to credit teamwork as the key to success. “The most important thing is to empower people to do their job and not to tell them how to do it. Back them and support them,” he said.

It’s a philosophy that stretches back to the very beginning of the team boss’ career in motorsport – as a racing driver.

In a promising junior series career that took him through stints in Formula Renault, British F3 and F2, the future team boss gained invaluable first-hand experience of just what it takes to make a successful racer – with raw talent being only part of the package.

Horner quickly realised that each cog in the racing machine from driver to race engineer to mechanic to parts fabricator is an integral part of any success. It was a lesson learned in even greater depth when he stepped up from F3 to the International F3000 series. There he not only raced but did so for his own team, Arden, and it was there, after retiring from driving to concentrate on running the team, that his belief in the power of putting the right people in the right places snapped into full focus.

Over the next six seasons Horner made Arden a racing powerhouse, with the young team owner guiding the outfit to three Drivers’ and Team Championships in succession. It was a remarkable record that brought Horner to the attention of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and when the drinks manufacturer took the radical step of setting up its own Formula One team for the 2005 season, it turned to Horner to run the operation.

Risky as the move seemed, the first-time F1 team principal seized the opportunity to apply the lessons learned in the junior formulae with both hands. Inheriting the remnants of the Jaguar team, Horner set about reinvigorating each department in pursuit of a dedicated squad motivated by the single goal of reaching the top.

The big name signing of Adrian Newey as Chief Technical Officer was the new arrival’s most obvious coup, but the policy of placing the right people in the right positions was applied from top to bottom throughout the team. And with the team also making judicious moves in the driver market, Horner had, by 2009, built a team capable of winning races, the first coming with a one-two finish for winner Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The tale since has, of course, been one of incredible success. The Chinese GP one-two was followed by five more victories in 2009 and runners-up finishes in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. The following year the team made the crucial next step and at the season’s penultimate race landed its first Constructors’ title. The Drivers’ crown for Vettel followed a week later after a thrilling four-way title showdown and the team’s mission was realised.

It was really only the start, however. It’s often said that while winning once is a laudable feat, it’s in repeating the achievement that success is really confirmed.

Horner achieved that consistency in 2011, with the team scoring 12 victories, 27 podiums and 18 pole positions to claim back-to-to-back titles.

The quest for Horner now is to maintain the hunger for more success, and if the same interview that sought the Team Principal’s thoughts on management is any guide then the desire for titles should be in no doubt. Asked to name the thing he most hated in the world Horner’s reply was short: “Losing.”

Statistics – Career Highlights