Christian Horner celebrates Red Bull Powertrains’ first F1 win

Max Verstappen’s victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia gave Red Bull a day to remember. The commanding win at Sepang was not only the Dutch champion’s and the team’s first victory of the season, but also the first historic Formula 1 success for a Red Bull Powertrains power unit.

It was a remarkable achievement considering the doubts and uncertainty that had surrounded the project. Red Bull entered a new set of regulations heavily focused on the power unit while competing against automotive giants including Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda. Yet the once unlikely idea of an energy drinks company building its own Formula 1 engine and taking it to victory has now become reality.

Christian Horner celebrates Red Bull Powertrains’ first F1 win

Max Verstappen’s Malaysian victory was also an emotional moment for former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. The British manager led the team for 20 years and was one of the key figures behind the Red Bull Powertrains project, strongly believing that Red Bull could become an engine manufacturer in its own right.

Christian Horner also helped launch the major recruitment drive that brought engineers and technicians from other Formula 1 teams into Red Bull’s newly established engine facility at Milton Keynes, with personnel arriving particularly from Mercedes and Ferrari.

Horner: “From a hole in the ground to winning a Grand Prix”

Shortly after the race, Christian Horner posted an Instagram Story proudly celebrating the success of the engine project he had helped create.

“From a hole in the ground to winning a Grand Prix in five years,” Christian Horner wrote, referring to the creation of the dedicated factory. “Huge congratulations to Red Bull Ford Powertrains, Max and the entire team. An incredible achievement.”

The celebration comes only days after Christian Horner had effectively put himself forward as a possible future option for Ferrari. For now, however, Maranello can wait as the former Red Bull team principal celebrates a major milestone for the power unit project he helped bring to life.