Christian Horner returned to the Formula One paddock for the first time since he was sacked by Red Bull with the Netflix cameras in tow, and was reassured by the sport’s ruler Mohammed Ben Sulayem that he will definitely be back on the pit wall.
He received the ringing endorsement ahead of the British Grand Prix, the scene of his 405th and so far final race 12 months ago.
Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, rang Horner soon after he breezed in through Silverstone’s turnstiles and summoned him into the top floor of the governing body’s hospitality area. The two men hugged, creating the impression for the five journalists present in the room that he is fully behind Horner landing another high-profile role.
‘He will be back,’ declared Ben Sulayem. ‘I would like to see that. I believe that when you have a team you have to forget about what the person is doing, his personality, and ask if you want the result or not?
‘Please. Everybody makes mistakes, but did he deliver? What do you want? Do you want to win or not? Do you want to give it a try or not? It is not for me to say where he will end up, even if I knew.
‘Talking about behaviour, he shouldn’t go and kill someone, or drink and drive, but there is bad behaviour and behaviours. But it is about results.’
Christian Horner was asked on Sky about his immediate plans for a return to the sport
Horner and his Spice Girl wife Geri were seen at Royal Ascot together last month
Horner was relieved of his responsibilities by Red Bull after an internal power struggle 48 hours after last year’s British race and placed on gardening leave lasting until March of this year.
By then he was undermined by the scandal that engulfed him over coercive text messages he allegedly sent to a female employee. He was twice cleared of wrongdoing by internal inquiries claimed to have been conducted by two unnamed KCs.
Horner, 52, who arrived at the track without Spice Girl wife Geri, said: ‘I would like to come back but it may be the autumn or next spring before anything happens. I am happy doing what I am doing but would like to return if and when the right opportunity presents itself. There are a lot of moving parts.’
He joked he would go to the stewards room to watch the race. ‘Toto (Wolff, his old sparring partner at Mercedes) would get a penalty on lap one. And lap two and three.’
He added: ‘I’d only look at doing the right thing if I had the opportunity to win at the end of the day.
‘F1 is in such a great place, the racing has been super watching it from behind the scenes. And the interest is sky high of people who want to get involved so we’ll see. I’m in no rush.’
Horner is believed to favour a return in the red of Ferrari, but is also linked with Aston Martin and to buying a 24 per cent stake in Alpine. ‘It’s the only part of a team for sale in F1,’ he pointed out.
Another option is leading a new entrant into the sport in 2031, and he has spoken to Chinese manufacturer BYD about the possibility, though these conversations are at a very early stage.
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