Former Red Bull Formula 1 chief Christian Horner is set to attend this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, his first race since leaving the squad last July, while announcing his first book.
Last year’s British GP was the last race of Horner’s long tenure with Red Bull, as he was removed from his position before the Belgian Grand Prix as the squad struggled for performance and became embroiled in an escalating power struggle.
Horner has since taken a year out of motorsport, having held talks with numerous current and prospective F1 teams over a role. While the 52-year-old is now free to sign for a rival team and return to the series, he has yet to find the right fit with a team where he could be the one pulling the strings.
But Horner is now slated to return to the F1 paddock over the Silverstone weekend as a guest. Horner has maintained good ties with F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, having met the Italian at the Jerez MotoGP round in April, while he also visited FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the FIA’s Paris headquarters earlier this year.
Horner to launch memoir Drive in October
Horner’s paddock return comes as he has announced the release of his first memoir called Drive, which will be released in October by Transworld Publishing.
The book will be released on 22 October, with an audiobook version narrated by Horner.
The blurb accompanying the announcement said the memoir would be “vivid, candid and uncompromising” as Horner shared his side of over two decades at the sharp end of the F1 grid including two dominant periods with Red Bull, yielding eight drivers’ titles with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, as well as six constructors’ crowns.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, Team Principal Christian Horner
Photo by: Clive Mason/Getty Images
“It exposes the incredible pressures of that role, the psychological demands negotiated during each race, and the instinctive decision-making required to win (and win again) in a sport of maximum risk with the very finest of margins,” the statement said.
“Vivid, candid and uncompromising, Horner captures the intense drama and high personal cost of pushing a team to the very limits of performance. He talks about the shock upsets, rivalries and private challenges he faced, as well as the collaborations that underpinned his success.”
Speaking at the European Motor Show in Dublin in February, Horner gave his clearest indication yet that he plans to return to F1 if the circumstances are right. “I feel like I have unfinished business in Formula 1,” he was quoted by PA.
“It didn’t finish the way that I would have liked it to finish. But I am not going to come back for just anything. I am only going to come back for something that can win. I don’t want to go back in the paddock unless I have something to do.
“I miss the sport, I miss the people, I miss the team that I built. I had 21 incredible years in Formula 1. I had a great run, won a lot of races, championships and worked with some amazing drivers, engineers and partners.”
He added: “I don’t need to go back. I could stop my career now. So, I would only go back for the right opportunity to work with great people, and to work in an environment where people want to win, and they share that desire.
“I would want to be a partner, rather than just a hired hand, but we will see how it plays out. I am not in a rush. I don’t need to do anything.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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