Horner beams with pride over Red Bull Powertrains' success: 'There were a lot of doubters'

The Briton returned to the Formula 1 paddock a year after being dismissed last July, back at Silverstone, the very circuit where he last served as Red Bull's CEO and team principal before handing over the reins to Laurent Mekies.

So far, the Milton Keynes-based team has endured a difficult season in terms of results, with Max Verstappen coming off two major incidents, first in qualifying in Austria and then during the race at Silverstone, both caused by a failure of the active aero system on the rear wing. As a result, he is now well out of the title fight.

One of the few bright spots of the RB22 so far has been its power unit, with the FIA reportedly considering it the best internal combustion engine on the grid. The assessment has come as a surprise to many, who expected Mercedes to hold that distinction given its performances at the start of the season.

Speaking in an interview with The Times, Horner said he was especially proud of what Red Bull Powertrains had achieved, describing its progress as an extraordinary accomplishment given how recently the programme was launched and the level of competition it faced.

He recalled that the operation had started from virtually nothing, before a new factory was built in less than a year and the first engine was running just 14 months later. Horner also highlighted the role played by Ford and ExxonMobil, while noting that the workforce had grown to around 650 people, with more than 200 recruited from Mercedes HPP.

“That relationship with Ford, the fuel ExxonMobil have contributed, that was a bubble-wrap factory five years ago. There was one person that had a little bit of experience at Cosworth, and that was all that team had. Within 55 weeks we built a factory, within 14 months we had an engine up and running, 650 people were recruited into that business, and over 200 of them came out of Mercedes Benz or HPP.”

Horner admitted there had been widespread doubts about the project from the very beginning, particularly from outside the company, with many believing the challenge ahead was enormous. He revealed that even some people within Red Bull questioned whether it could succeed, adding that his biggest regret was not being there to see the team's own engine power a Formula 1 car out of the garage for the first time.

Also at Silverstone, the Leamington Spa native broke his silence on life after leaving Red Bull amid continued speculation over his future and the possibility of returning to the Formula 1 paddock.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after arriving at the circuit, Horner said it was good to be back at Silverstone, explaining that he had never missed the British Grand Prix since 1993 and was there simply as a fan. Discussing his future, he added that he had enjoyed the time away after spending 20 consecutive years at Red Bull and stressed that he would only consider returning for a project with a genuine chance of winning.