As with many other F1 teams, Red Bull has a high-end watch-making company as one of their sponsors. And what better watch company to have on your side than the luxury brand Tag Heuer? The brand has a strong connection with team principal Christian Horner, the story of which dates back to the times of Ayrton Senna, the man who awakened Horner’s love for watches.

Before taking up the management job at Red Bull, Christian Horner was a racer himself. In a recent interview, he recalled the time he won a race in Formula 3000 and received a cash prize from Bernie Ecclestone. The timepiece lover in him compelled him to gift himself a Tag Heuer watch, the same brand he is associated with even today, courtesy of Red Bull’s partnership.

“I already followed Formula 1 as a kid and I saw Ayrton Senna with this TAG Heuer logo,” Christian Horner said while speaking with Le Figaro. “So, for me, the brand has always been synonymous with Formula 1. You longed to own one of its watches and the first time I bought an inexpensive watch was a TAG Heuer.”

“I had won a race in Monaco in what is now Formula 2 but was then called Formula 3000. And Bernie Ecclestone gave me a cash prize! I said to myself ‘if I bring this money home, it will be spent’ and I wanted to treat myself to something to commemorate this victory”.

“So, at Nice airport, I bought myself a TAG Heuer Monza as a souvenir. And it’s funny because a few weeks ago Frédéric Arnault gave me the new Monza. But I still have the one I bought myself, it means a lot to me!”

Read More: Max Verstappen Under Fire for Enraged Remarks Against Le Mans Failures

Horner is not the only Red Bull team member who is a watch enthusiast. His new 3rd driver signing Daniel Ricciardo is quite a watch aficionado and has a $2 million Richard Mille in his collection.

Christian Horner made it into the elite list of watch enthusiasts

The 2021 F1 season was one of the most thrilling seasons we have watched in the sport’s modern era. Netflix once again did a fantastic job in giving us behind-the-scenes coverage through its docu-series Drive to Survive. While we, as motorsport fans, were busy enjoying the plot, watch connoisseurs had a field day as well.

Time + Tide followed the season extensively to list out the best watches they could spot F1 entities wore. They picked the Red Bull boss in their top 5 picks for his TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph 42mm CBN2013.FC6483. Among others who made the list was Daniel Ricciardo for his Richard Mille and McLaren collab RM 50-03.

They picked Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as well for his elegant IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were the other obvious two on the list for their Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Edition “MOJAVE DESERT” and TAG Heuer Monaco Titan Special Edition, respectively.

Watch This Story: Christian Horner Unhappy with 2022 Budget Cap, Calls for Urgent Attention

Which one is your favorite among them all? Do let us know in the comments.