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Barring Christian Horner and Toto Wolff, no other team principal on the 2024 grid has been with their respective squads for more than 5 years.
In the history of the sport, however, the post of team principal was looked at as something slightly different. More often than not, the owner of the team would take the position. The nature of the sport saw long stretches of the same men at the helm of proceedings.
Who had some of the longest reigns as Team principals in the history of F1 and where does Christian Horner find himself in that list? Let's take a look.
#5 Franz Tost (2006-2023): 18 years
At number 5 we have a former Christian Horner colleague in Franz Tost who retired from F1 last season. Tost led Red Bull's B-team from 2006 to 2023.
Tost did an admirable job as the man leading a team that was essentially Christian Horner's B-team. He led the team to its first win in 2008 with Sebastian Vettel and followed it up with a win in 2020 with Pierre Gasly.
#4 Christian Horner (2005-Present): 19 years
Christian Horner finds himself fourth on this list with 19 years as team principal of Red Bull under his belt. Horner joined the sport as a boy in the playground of men and went toe to toe against the likes of Ferrari and McLaren. He oversaw a 4-year dominant run from his team from 2010 to 2013 and then was instrumental in Red Bull getting back to another dominant run that began in 2021 and continues to this day.
Itis hard to predict what the recent internal investigation on him could yield, but even in his 19 years, the man has left an indelible mark in F1 history.
#3 Ron Dennis (1980-2009): 30 years
The great Ron Dennis was instrumental in McLaren's revival in the 1980s and was the first man to truly embrace technology in F1. Dennis led McLaren for a mammoth period of 30 years, but what made it even more impressive was his ability to forge partnerships with different automotive giants.
He went on a great run of titles with a TAG-sponsored Porsche engine, then he did something similar with Honda and later with Mercedes. Accomplishing wins under different rule sets and with different drivers truly puts Ron Dennis in very esteemed company.
#2 Ken Tyrell (1968-1998): 31 years
Ken Tyrell led his team for 31 years and he was one of the original team owners who ran the team as well. Tyrell enjoyed great success early in his stint in F1 as he won titles with Jackie Stewart. But drying sponsorship and inability to adapt cost him, as the team finally drew its last breath in 1998.
#1 Frank Williams (1977-2020): 44 years
Arguably one of the legends of the sport when it comes to having a different level of dedication was Sir Frank Williams. Frank built an empire from very humble beginnings and turned his team into a place that drivers wanted to be.
The bulk of the success for the team was achieved in the 1980s and 1990s. The team became home for Christian Horner's prized possession Adrian Newey in the early 1990s and dominated F1 for a long time.
After their last title triumph in 1997, Williams endured a long and arduous decline, ultimately ending with the team being sold to Dorilton Capital in 2020.
