Red Bull chief Christian Horner fires dig at F1 rivals as Ferrari stance clear
Christian Horner has confessed that respect among the current crop of team principals isn't what is was when he began as he ruled out the prospect of him swapping Red Bull for Ferrari
Christian Horner admits that respect among his fellow team bosses is "a little lacking these days" having entered Formula 1 when trailblazers like Ron Dennis and Frank Williams were still around.
The Red Bull boss got his job back in 2005, which was the team's first year, and rubbed shoulders in the paddock with the icons who ran McLaren and Williams. Ferrari were then led by Jean Todt, leading to an all star cast.
Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was the man running affairs but nowadays and landscape has changed dramatically with Horner the only man still present from what some may describe as the glory days of the sport.
Now Horner's rivalry with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff are well documented, especially during the 2021 world championship fight. This year, with McLaren a force again, their CEO Zak Brown has traded verbals with Horner as they go head to head.
The Red Bull chief admits things are different now with teams led by management figures, rather than individuals who were owners, and the dynamic has suffered as a result.
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He told PlanetF1: 'You had Ron Dennis running McLaren, Frank Williams at Williams, Jean Todt at Ferrari, and Flavio Briatore running Renault. Eddie Jordan was still around when I first started, and they were big personalities and big characters. Yes, there were always disagreements, but there was a commonality of agreeing on what was right for the business, and what was right for the sport, because they were all relatively entrepreneurial.
'Whereas, nowadays, you look around the room and, save for a few, it's largely a bunch of managers, as opposed to perhaps that entrepreneurial spirit that existed previously. There were always rivalries; I mean, Jean and Ron never particularly saw eye-to-eye, but there was always respect that, sometimes, I think is a little lacking these days.'
The sport has evolved with any friction highlighted by Netflix in the Drive To Survive series, which has taken the sport to new heights. In recent years it has been a platform that highlighted Red Bull's dominance with Max Verstappen claiming four straight titles.
Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari have all tried in vain to chase down the Austrian outfit. Ferrari's last title dates back to 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen bought home the title and they don't look like ending their drought this year with Fred Vasseur in charge.
The storied Italian outfit have been linked with a move for Horner, whose CV boasts eight drivers' titles since they last ruled the sport. However the Red Bull boss has put to bed the idea of any switch.
He said: 'There are so many rumours, I'm not going anywhere. I'm fully committed to Red Bull. We've got so much good stuff coming through the pipeline. We're on the verge of launching our own engine for 2026, which has been a massive project and undertaking. Of course, it's always flattering to be associated with other teams, particularly teams like Ferrari. But no, I'm not going anywhere."
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Filosa hasn't had much experience in such a high-profile role, unlike Marchionne and Tavares, who were tested automotive veterans. He came up through the company's Latin American operations and has only served a short time in North America — its most crucial market. While Italian, he also has limited work time in Europe, the automaker's second most important region. Two sources who agreed to speak on the condition on anonymity to be able to speak freely also said he's a nose to the grindstone leader who can be demanding at times, similar to his predecessors and other CEOs. Filosa also will need to restore investor confidence, which both Marchionne and Tavares were at ease doing. Three sources, including two company insiders, said he doesn't yet have the CEO prowess like his predecessors, something that may come with experience. UBS analyst Patrick Hummel noted in a financial note last month that Filosa's interaction with the financial community also has been 'limited' to a capital markets day in June 2024. Investors didn't react strongly to the CEO choice, based on the company's stock price. When Filosa was announced as CEO on May 28, U.S.-listed shares of the stock declined 3.2%. Since then, the shares are off roughly 10% amid a litany of outside factors. The daily stock decline is actually similar to when Marchionne made his 'mediocrity' comments during the company's first investor day after combining Chrysler and Fiat to make 'Fiat Chrysler Automobiles,' or FCA, on May 6, 2014. Shares fell 3.9% that day. Marchionne, a philosophy major who was known for his astute remarks, was discussing the challenges ahead for the automaker and changing automotive industry, including not chasing unprofitable businesses — which Filosa and Stellantis must continue to address. 'I told you this morning that our FCA culture responds better when it is confronted with purpose and with challenge,' Marchionne said. 'And our plan has purpose because when all is said and all is done, mediocrity is not worth the trip.'
