Christian Horner says his former team, Red Bull, phoned him to thank him for his contribution in its first Formula 1 victory with its own power unit at the Bahrain Grand Prix this month.
Horner helmed Red Bull as team principal when it stepped into F1 in 2005 and remained in the post until midway through the 2025 season.
During his tenure, Horner oversaw the team’s rise to becoming four-time world champions with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013, before repeating that with Max Verstappen between 2021 and 2024.
But Horner also moved the team towards the foundation of Red Bull Powertrains to develop its Ford-backed engine that would come into use at the start of 2026.
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
“It was an appreciated gesture”
That engine took its first victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, before claiming a second a week later at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange, Horner revealed that Red Bull phoned him to acknowledge his role in that Sepang victory.
“We managed to do it on the chassis side, and then the challenge came: could we do it on the engine side?
“You know, we needed to have an engine after Honda announced their withdrawal in 2020.
Horner's role in 2026 Bahrain GP win was acknowledged by Red Bull
“So we created this start-up company, Red Bull Powertrains, with the same philosophy of attracting the talent, giving people a chance, giving people the opportunity, and then empowering them and encouraging them to push the boundaries.
“I've been super proud to see how that engine has developed and delivered this year.
“It was an appreciated gesture, seeing that engine and knowing what went into it, the sweat and tears along the way.
“For all the men and women involved, it was an incredible, incredible achievement.
“And their 16th attempt to win a grand prix, which is very hard at the best of times.
“I was very grateful to both the shareholders who reached out, and [Red Bull CEO] Oliver Mintzlaff who reached out to thank me as well.
“It was quite a different call than I had from him 15 months earlier.”
Lewis joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having been a journalist for five years covering MotoGP for the Motorsport Network. In February of 2026, he became Head of Editorial.