Red Bull team principal Christian Horner predictably features heavily in the latest season of Drive to Survive. The 2024 edition of the documentary released on Friday morning.
The rivalry between McLaren and Red Bull was one of the biggest storylines of the year. Few saw it coming as the Bulls entered the year with a commanding advantage.
Red Bull felt McLaren gained an unfair advantage, exploiting the rules to wipe out the gap. But the FIA never applied any penalty.
There was growing animosity between Horner and Zak Brown, and both will try to claim victory. Max Verstappen beat Lando Norris in the drivers’ championship, but McLaren won the constructors’.
Horner’s reaction to McLaren’s driver swap in Hungary is revealed in the Netflix show. He admits Verstappen would never have let his teammate past as Norris did.
The show also addresses Sergio Perez’s struggles, leading to him losing his seat last December. Horner was furious with Perez after one accident in British Grand Prix qualifying.
Drive to Survive shares Christian Horner’s verdict on Charles Leclerc
Episode five of Drive to Survive focuses on the so-called ‘Monaco curse’ surrounding Charles Leclerc. Five years after joining Ferrari – and after multiple heartbreaks – Leclerc finally won on home soil last May.
There’s a strong emphasis on the intense pressure stemming from the adoration of the locals and the events of previous years. And Horner wasn’t sure whether he’d cope.
In one interaction on the Red Bull pitwall, a colleague says: “Leclerc is under a lot of pressure.”
Horner replies: “Yeah. And he makes a lot of mistakes.”
The 27-year-old, who has won eight Grands Prix and finished on the podium 42 times, is one of the biggest threats to Verstappen’s dominance this season. He placed third in last year’s world championship.
How Charles Leclerc has changed since Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari
Are Horner’s comments fair? Leclerc has failed to finish 21 of the 147 races he’s started (or 14.3%).
13 of those retirements have been due to damage, though naturally not all of the collisions were his fault. Perhaps his error-prone reputation stems from the 2022 season.
Helmut Marko felt Leclerc squandered a title shot that year, claiming Ferrari had a better car than Red Bull in the first half of the season. He crashed out of the French Grand Prix after an unforced error from the lead.
Team principal Fred Vasseur says Leclerc will benefit from Lewis Hamilton’s arrival. He can learn from the seven-time champion, but Vasseur has also noticed that it’s taken ‘some of the pressure off’ before the 2025 season.
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