"It is by far the biggest challenge that I’ll have in my time": Red Bull boss on his biggest challenge looming in the near future

Red Bull boss Christian Horner reckons one of the biggest challenges looming in the near future for his team is the powertrain unit's introduction in 2026. The team will become a fully operational constructor and use the in-built power unit for the first time in 2026 when the regulations change.

Red Bull have been running the Honda developed and manufactured power units. However, they have decided to go their own way when the Japanese manufacturer pulled the plug on its F1 operations by the end of the 2021 season. At that time, the Red Bull powertrains were conceived, and the Austrian entity decided to become a works team with everything in-house.

While Red Bull are dominating the sport right now, the new regulations are not too far away. The 2026 season will see the introduction of the new power unit regulations that would feature a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric power.

The season will also be Red Bull's first sojourn with a power unit completely built by the team, which Horner sees as the biggest challenge of his career. In an interview with Sky Sports, the Red Bull boss said:

“I’ve had offers coming in in the past to get involved in other sports or in other entities, but, at heart, I’m a racer. I love what I do, and I have a commitment and responsibility for the team having been there since the beginning.

"As the second youngest team principal in Formula 1, I’ve still got a few years left in me, and my motivation is still sky high."

He added:

“With Red Bull Powertrains coming in 2026, it is by far the biggest challenge that I’ll have in my time in Formula 1, so it still motivates me to get out of bed every day, and I’m excited every day that I go to work.”

---

Red Bull boss on how being married to a Spice Girl changed his life

Horner is married to Geri Halliwell, a member of the famed music band Spice Girls. When questioned on how getting married to her has changed his life, the Red Bull boss touched on how he wasn't the more recognized figure in public.

However, owing to his wife and Netflix documentary 'Drive to Survive', he's starting to get more noticed now. Horner said:

“It’s changed my life significantly. I used to be very recognised within a Formula 1 paddock; now, I’m recognised in a whole host of places. It used to be my wife at immigration that would get stopped as we’re going into the US, but now people say ‘oh, you’re the guy out of Drive to Survive?’"

Horner is coming off a terrific 2023 season as Red Bull won all but one of the 22 races, with triple world champion Max Verstappen winning a whopping 19 of them.