However, the rush of excitement he got in the aftermath of that first triumph back at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix helped drive him and his staff to want to deliver more and more success in F1.
Max Verstappen’s triumph in last weekend’s Canadian GP was Red Bull’s 100th victory in F1 and put it now fifth in the standings of F1’s all-time winners.
Of the four squads ahead of it, Ferrari leads the way on 242 victories, ahead of McLaren on 183, Mercedes on 125 and Williams on 114.
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Reflecting on the journey to those 100 wins, Horner confessed that the first victory in Shanghai felt like such an achievement at the time that it was almost like Red Bull’s mission in F1 had been completed.
“When we first came into the sport, the ambition was to be competitive and to compete,” said Horner. “It was Dietrich's [Mateschitz] vision to bring Red Bull in as an entrant. And not just take part but try and be competitive.
“We won our first race in 2009, four years after coming into the sport. I remember collecting the trophy that day and then getting on the plane to go home that evening and thinking, ‘Well, at least we've won one. If nothing else happens, we've won a race!'
Source: Autosport