Christian Horner has been the team principal of Red Bull since 2005 and has helped the team achieve immense success during this time in charge. He oversaw the team’s growth and led them to four consecutive world championships between 2010 and 2013. Several people in the F1 paddock have stated multiple times that Red Bull is a huge part of Horner’s life.
When Mattia Binotto exited Ferrari in 2022, Horner was one of the names that came up as a potential replacement. This was never confirmed or made official, but a man of his pedigree would certainly be an option for the most successful team in F1 history. However, this never materialized into anything concrete.
Horner continued as team principal of Red Bull, and Ferrari signed former Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur to be in charge. In a recent press conference, Horner revealed that Ferrari did approach him once, but did not confirm if it was in 2022 or before.
Christian Horner was flattered when Ferrari approached him
Ferrari is arguably the biggest name among any team in F1 history. They are the outfit with the most number of drivers’ and constructors’ championship. Unfortunately, success has eluded their camp for a long time as they’ve failed to bring a championship back to Maranello for almost 15 years now.
For many people, being with Ferrari is the dream but Horner does not share that. For him, Red Bull is the most important thing and he wants to guide them to even bigger heights. That does not mean he discounts Ferrari’s greatness. The 49-year-old talked about the moment when the Scuderia approached him to offer him the team principal role.
Horner, however, rejected it because he ‘felt responsible’ for Red Bull as a whole. He added that it was a flattering offer, but he would rather face them as competitors than be in charge of them.
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Horner dismisses Mattia Binotto to Red Bull rumors
Mattia Binotto is one of the smartest minds to have ever worked in F1. He was one of the key figures behind Ferrari & Michael Schumacher’s success in the early 2000s and he grew up in the ranks to become team principal. His expertise in the powertrains departments is considered to be extremely valuable.
As a result, when Ferrari parted ways with him, many felt that they were losing out on a gem. He won’t be a part of any team in 2023, but certain rumors linked him to other teams in a technical role for the future. One of those teams is Red Bull.
Horner, however, cleared the air on the matter. The Brit told AMuS that Binotto won’t be joining Red Bull as there is no department where there is an opening at the moment.
