Racing
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Christian Horner’s return to Formula 1 moved closer to expectation after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said at Silverstone that the former Red Bull boss will be back soon and suggested he already knows where.
After meeting Horner at the British Grand Prix weekend, Ben Sulayem told reporters: “We will see him again soon.” He then added: “He will return. Where? It is not for me to say, even if I know. It is for him to announce it.”
That matters because Horner is now in a position to act on any opportunity. Speaking to The Times, the former Red Bull Racing team principal and CEO said his gardening leave has ended and that talks are already under way. “I am free to move forward now,” Horner said. “And of course there are discussions. But until recently, I could do nothing because of my period of leave. Now, technically speaking, I am a free man.”
Horner made clear he is not looking for a return at any cost. “If I return, it will only be in a position where I have the opportunity to make a difference and win,” he said. “If it is not to win, then why do it?”
Ben Sulayem also defended Horner’s record, framing the issue in competitive terms. “Look at his track record. Everyone makes mistakes, but did he get results?” he said. “What do you want? To win or not? Do you want to take your chance or not?”
Horner reappeared in the Silverstone paddock almost exactly a year after Red Bull ended his 20-year spell in charge, a run that brought six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ titles.
The strongest current paddock rumor links him to a prospective 12th Formula 1 team backed by Chinese manufacturer BYD, but Horner has stopped well short of confirming any such plan. Asked about BYD, he called it “a huge entity, a huge, huge, huge company,” before adding: “There has been so much speculation. And as I said, I think I have already been linked with every team on the grid.”
For now, Horner is keeping the destination private and the timeline open. “I’m not in a rush,” he said, but with Ben Sulayem publicly insisting a comeback is coming and Horner now free to negotiate, the question is no longer whether he returns, but which project can convince him it is capable of winning.