Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner receives a CBE for his services to motorsports

Red Bull Racing team principal and CEO Christian Horner has been officially honored with the Commander of the Order in the British Empire (CBE) by King Charles in a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace, London. The Royal Empire of the United Kingdom honored the 51-year-old to celebrate his services in the world of motorsports.

The ceremony for the 2024 New Year honors took place at Buckingham Palace on December 18. King Charles summoned several celebrities from different walks of life to honor their services in their respective professions.

For the CBE, Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan were amongst notable names to receive the honors. Spice Girls singer and Horner's wife, Geri Halliwell, accompanied her husband to celebrate his achievement.

The 51-year-old's journey in motorsports began in 1992 as a racing driver. However, he quit driving at 25 to transition into administration. In 2005, Horner joined Red Bull Racing to become the youngest team principal in F1 at the time. The Brit has since devoted himself to the energy drink-based team.

From 2010-2024, Red Bull won six Constructors' championships and eight Drivers' championships, four each by Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. Moreover, in 2023, the team won 21 of the 22 race weekends, setting a dominant record in F1.

However, earlier this year, Christian Horner faced significant criticism after an anonymous female employee accused him of inappropriate behavior. Red Bull conducted an internal investigation and reportedly found no conclusive evidence.

Meanwhile, Red Bull lost the Constructors' championship in 2024 as McLaren and Ferrari beat them with significant improvement in pace and performance. However, Max Verstappen clinched his fourth championship in a row, beating his direct rival, Lando Norris.

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Christian Horner 'salutes' McLaren for winning the Constructors' title

Christian Horner, Zak Brown (Image Source: Getty)

After a fierce battle that extended till the season finale in Abu Dhabi, McLaren beat Ferrari and Red Bull Racing to clinch their first Constructors' championship title since 1998. Meanwhile, Christian Horner congratulated the Papaya team for their triumph, noting their significant improvements throughout the season. He also praised McLaren's driver lineup of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for being consistent in the 2024 F1 season. He said (via racingnews365):

"I mean, you've got to salute what McLaren have done this year. They've had a good car, they've had two great drivers, and they've had an awesome year. To win a Constructors' world championship is something that is very, very tough to do, and you've got to be impeccable across the year and this year there was some fierce competition," said Horner.

Red Bull, despite starting the season on a high, witnessed a dip in performance around the summer break. With a total of nine race wins, Christian Horner and co. fell 77 points short of McLaren and ranked third in the Constructors' championship.