It is hard to believe a return to F1 is not on the cards for one of the most successful team principals, but where will he go?
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hen Christian Horner announced to the staff at Red Bull he had been dismissed by the company to whom he had dedicated 20 years of his life, he was, understandably, reduced to tears. On Monday that parting was formally sealed with a multimillion-pound settlement and Horner is free to move on. It is all but impossible to imagine he will not attempt to hurl himself back into Formula One, doubtless spurred-on by having a point to make to his former employer.
On Monday Horner and Red Bull’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, announced they had reached an agreement worth £80m to end his career with the team, after he had been removed from his post as team principal shortly after the British GP in July.
Horner had led Red Bull since its first season in 2005, taking them from humble beginnings to eight drivers’ and six constructors’ titles. His credentials as a team leader, for all that some dislike his style, his attitude and his singular approach to going racing, cannot be questioned. Alongside Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and Jean Todt at Ferrari, he has been the most successful team principal of this millenium.
