F1 News: Christian Horner toilet ritual paved the way for Red Bull glory

Horner uitgejouwd door publiek tijdens F1 75-evenement in Londen — Photo: © IMAGO

Christian Horner

Christian Horner toilet ritual paved the way for Red Bull F1 glory

Most great sporting figures have their own superstitions - just not like this

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Thursday 5 February 2026 18:59 Updated: 19:04

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Most great athletes and sporting figures have superstitions and rituals - they are just normal people like you or me - and that includes former Red Bull F1 supremo Christian Horner.

Horner spent around 20 years building Red Bull into a powerhouse on the grid - leading the team to eight World Drivers’ championship titles and six Constructors’ Championship crowns.

But as well as making countless high-pressure decisions every single day, and managing a massive workforce, the 52-year-old Horner also had his own very personal rituals he followed at every single race weekend. One of them was quite unusual, and it related to toilets.

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Speaking to the Christian O’Connell Show, Horner admitted: “They were as much rituals as they were superstitions. I’d always shake the driver’s hand before the start of the race from the right-hand side of the car. I had lucky clothing, I had lucky socks.

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A lucky toilet at every Grand Prix

“I had a lucky toilet at each Grand Prix - I’d nominate one loo, that would be the loo for the weekend. Which is kind of embarrassing if all the other ones are free and you’re standing in Brazil and you’re waiting for this one particular toilet.

“So you get these I think rituals - where I stood in the garage to watch the start of the race - all those types of things were just little rituals that helped you get in the frame of mind and get in the zone for the start of the race.”

Patching up the 'lucky underwear'

So if Horner had lucky socks, what about other clothing? Of course he had lucky underwear too.

“The lucky underwear had to be packed and I’d got qualifying underwear and race day underwear and as they got worn out they’d sometimes get patched up.”

Horner of course is out of the sport right now but is expected to resurface at some stage soon with another team.

What next for Horner? A return to F1

In recent days he admitted that he is looking to return, but only if the role is right. Likely this time it won’t be as Team Principal, instead in a more senior position and with a stake in the team.

Before that Horner will be undertaking a speaking tour in Australia, talking about his life in F1 before audiences in Melbourne, Sydney in Perth.

As ever, Horner’s timing is impeccable with the 2026 F1 season getting under at Melbourne in early March, and before that Season 8 of Drive to Survive being released on February 27.

The latest season of that hit Netflix doc should feature Horner heavily, with his shock departure from Red Bull in the summer of 2025 sure to be a prominent storyline.

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