For a very long time I thought Horner was the titan of team principals and respected him for that whether I like him as a person or not: the simple fact that he was able to retain Newey for that long, the fastest pit stops by some margins, rarely a strategical mistake, the team being a well oiled machine, the most successful youth training program…
Not to mention that IMO Abu Dhabi 2021 was won mostly by Horner. You had the entire grid going insane at each other and at Masi, you had Toto making demands, and then you had RBR going (paraphrased) “listen here buddy i know this situation is fucked but let’s solve this together alright”. And then what happened? The outcome favoured RBR. Of course Max did everything right and the fact that it came down to that moment was thanks to him but that single deciding race outcome? Pure team principal win IMO.
On top of that he was a very successful shit stirrer which I greatly appreciate lol. Toto is a shit stirrer too but tries to come across as holier than thou IMO, Horner knows he is a shit stirrer and enjoys it. Slay.
But then last year happened and everything fell apart under him. Him being an (alleged) pig. Internal power struggles. Him clinging to his throne and then? Newey gone, Wheatley gone, slow pit stops, questionable strategies.
Shit, man. Idk if there’s a point I wanna make lol but oh how the mighty have fallen, I guess.