Horner reveals how unlikely F1 outfit nearly became the Red Bull team - 'it was that close'

14:01, 03 Feb

byTobia Elia

Christian Horner has shared a story about Eddie Jordan and how the team bearing his name came close to becoming the Red Bull outfit we know in Formula 1 today.

"Jordan Grand Prix very, very nearly became the Red Bull team. It was that close to happening"

- Christian Horner

The career path of Horner, the former Red Bull CEO and team principal, has long been part of the sport’s folklore. Back in 1999, at the age of just 25, he launched Arden International, a junior single-seater team that entered Formula 3000 and marked a decisive shift in his trajectory. Leaving driving behind, Horner quickly carved out a reputation as an astute and highly capable team leader.

That momentum carried him swiftly to the top of the sport. In 2005, aged only 31, he was handed the reins at Milton Keynes, becoming the youngest team principal in Formula 1 history following Red Bull’s takeover of the ailing Jaguar operation at the end of 2004.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his departure from Red Bull at the European Motor Show, the Briton revealed that Eddie Jordan once offered him a piece of advice that caught him off guard at a time when he was still underage.

Photo: Race Pictures

"When I was a young driver, when I was 16 or 17 years of age, I went to see him, and he just set up the Jordan F1 team. I went to see him for some advice. I had a sponsor who was supporting me, who was also supporting him. And I went into his office in the brand new factory that he’d just built at Silverstone and sat in front of him, and I said, ‘What advice would you give me?'

"He said, ‘Get a good lawyer and a good sponsor.’ It wasn’t the kind of advice that I was expecting. But then from that point onwards, he was always very supportive whenever I saw him at a racetrack."

Horner went on to reveal how Jordan came close to becoming the Red Bull outfit we know today, a deal that ultimately materialised anyway through Jaguar: "He tried to sell me the team, and Bernie Ecclestone was pushing me very hard to, to see if I could find a solution with Eddie, but it didn’t happen.

"Jordan Grand Prix very, very nearly became the Red Bull team. It was that close to happening, and in the end, the deal, Jaguar were selling, and the deal went there instead, but there were a lot of talks around that time.”

Horner makes clear why a 'nicey-nicey' bond with Wolff will never happen

While attending the same event, Horner again reflected on his dynamic with Wolff — a rivalry that has been a defining feature of the Formula 1 paddock for more than a decade.

“He has been tremendously successful. He has won a huge amount. He is very bright. We are just different people, equally competitive, just different. And sport is boring if everybody is friendly and loves each other," he said.

Read the full story here.