Christian Horner confirms F1 plan with British Grand Prix announcement | F1 | Sport

Christian Horner has confirmed his latest Formula 1 project, almost one year to the day after he was last seen in the paddock. After 20 years in charge of the Red Bull team, he was unceremoniously given the boot days after last year’s British Grand Prix as the team’s on-track fortunes waned.

Relieved of his duties as chief executive officer and team principal of the racing outfit by the main Red Bull company’s Austria-based bosses, Horner remained on the payroll for a while until an enormous settlement, believed to have been worth around £80million, was negotiated. And since his departure was finalised, he has largely maintained a low profile.

Horner has been seen at MotoGP and Formula E races but has not set foot back in the F1 paddock since his departure following last year’s Silverstone race. However, just two hours before the start of the Sprint race, and a day before the latest running of the British Grand Prix, his new project was announced.

It was confirmed that his memoir, titled ‘DRIVE’, is set for release later this year. In it, Horner is set to tell the full story of his 20 years in charge of Red Bull Racing, from his appointment in 2005 as the youngest team principal F1 had ever seen, to “navigating periods of success and adversity”.

Horner said: “F1 is ultimately a people business. While the sport is often defined by the cars, the victories and the championships, what stays with me most are the people, the decisions, the challenges and the extraordinary cast of characters I encountered along the way. This book is my reflection on an incredible 20-year journey and the many individuals who helped shape it.”

There will undoubtedly be plenty of juicy and explosive stories to be told, particularly about the last couple of years of his time in charge. They were rocked by scandal and infighting, after Horner was accused but later cleared by two independent KCs of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague.

Horner survived that scandal but he continued to face challenges from powerful enemies within the Red Bull camp. The death of company co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz weakened Horner’s position as he no longer had the same level of support from his son, Mark, and Red Bull’s sporting chief Oliver Mintzlaff. In the final stages, he face opposition from long-time ally and Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, while star driver Max Verstappen’s father Jos also publicly called for Horner to be replaced.

Horner’s ultimate desire is to return to F1 with another team and create the same level of success he once enjoyed with Red Bull. For months he was most strongly linked with Alpine, given Otro Capital is working to sell its 24 percent stake in the team, but his chances of a successful buy-in have faded since Renault chief Francois Provost last month said: “There is no discussion today with Christian.”

Instead, his most likely route back into the paddock might be through aligning himself with a new poject hoping to land a place on the F1 grid. The addition of a 12th team is a possibility with Chinese carmaker BYD interested. Horner has been seen with the company’s executive vice president Stella Li at public events in recent months.