‘Thank you Nicholas Latifi’ – Christian Horner’s greatest quotes

If there’s one thing now-former Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s never short of, it’s a soundbite.

Following his firing out of a metaphorical, energy drink-branded cannon, his achievements aren’t just represented in on-track results, it’s his words too.

And he wasn’t once lost for them. While Horner was well-versed in semi-nonsense-politik speak in the name of improving his own team’s game, his rent-a-quote tendencies actually made him a pretty good pundit in situations where he didn’t have a vested interest.

In fact, it could be argued that the Red Bull boss was the one person, more than Daniel Ricciardo and Guenther Steiner, who made the smash-hit Drive to Survive series what it was. Horner achieved more in F1 than either of the other two, lasted longer, had more to say – and was probably funnier too.

It should serve him well now he’s out of a full-time job, that’s for sure.

Horner also knew the deeper value of always piping up: it takes the heat off the people in your team doing all the real work, allowing them to get on with their job.

That’s not to say he didn’t sometimes cross the line, and say things that were either offensive or make some slightly questionable claims. There’s a reason Horner is seen as a villain by so many, and was booed so vociferously at the F175 event. It comes with the territory.

It also works both ways – Horner clearly doesn’t mind being in the limelight (to put it mildly), and is all prepped for more of a celebrity lifestyle form hereon in, if he wants it.

Bearing all that in mind, here’s a rundown of Christian Horner’s greatest one-liners:

“I have to say, thank you to Nicholas Latifi”

Horner pays heartwarming tribute to hapless Williams pay driver Nicholas Latifi, whose crash late on at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP triggered the controversial series of events that saw Max Verstappen take the world championship from Lewis Hamilton at the death.

“Darling, I’m not riding Bottas”

Responding to wife Geri comparing the family pet horse’s personality to Mercedes’ then-beleaguered second driver during Drive to Survive.

“All these vanilla engineers. Talking about probabilities and data, data, data! It’s not like it was a few years ago”

Red Bull boss gives his view on the promotion of engineer Ayao Komatsu to Haas F1 team boss, in place of the maverick Guenther Steiner.

“I thought: ‘You could seriously mess your hair up in this’. Getting brain and foot to connect at that point, I had a damper in between”

Horner on realising he would never be good enough to make it as a driver in F1.

“Have you got any money to spend on your engine, now you’ve spent it on your driver?”

Sparring with former Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul, who’d just managed to nick star driver Daniel Ricciardo from Milton Keynes.

“Sometimes managing donkeys is easier than managing drivers”

Surveying the family farm and comparing it to life in the paddock.

“Change your ****ing car!”

Horner responds to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s protestations over its porpoising issues.

“That’s the great thing. It’s his company, just to him and one other person in Thailand. No board meetings, no shareholders’ approvals, just an instant decision”

Famous last words on the Red Bull set-up under the late Dietrich Mateschitz, with the winds of change already having blown through now.

“To expect us to be ahead… It would be embarrassing for Mercedes”

Horner’s forecast for the 2026 F1 season.

“How many times do we have to sit and watch this s***?”

Losing to Mercedes and Hamilton, again, prior to the second coming of Red Bull from 2021 onwards.

“I’m very much a people person”

Christian shows his softer side.

“He’s basically making love to his ****ing exhaust pipe for lap after lap after lap, and the tyres are not dying”

Succinct analysis of McLaren’s 2025 technical advantage.