“I’m Standing in for Sebastian Vettel”: When Christian Horner Replaced Red Bull’s 4-Time Champ at Goodwood FoS

VETTEL Sebastian (ger), Aston Martin F1 Team AMR22, HORNER Christian (gbr), Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, portrait during the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022, 22nd round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft from November 18 to 20, 2022 on the Yas Marina Circuit, in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) was the 30th edition of the iconic motoring event and it was jam-packed with historic cars and famous racing drivers. However, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel dropped out of the event owing to a family holiday.

The former Red Bull driver was supposed to reunite with his old pals—David Coulthard, Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, and Adrian Newey—for the team’s 20th-anniversary-celebrations by driving his 2012-title winning car, the RB8, up the Goodwood hill.

Vettel opting out meant that team boss Christian Horner had to draft himself into the car. “I haven’t driven a Formula One car since 1993 and I’m standing in for Sebastian Vettel. So, what could possibly go wrong,” Horner said in a video published by Red Bull, which documented the festival, earlier this week.

Christian Horner had never driven any of Red Bull’s cars before, despite joining as Team Principal in 2005, the team’s debut year in Formula 1. However, to prepare him for his Festival of Speed run, the team arranged a pre-Goodwood shakedown at Silverstone, giving him the chance to drive the RB7.

Silverstone shakedown ensured Horner’s run went smoothly

Horner’s drive in the RB8 up the iconic Goodwood Hill went smoothly. Despite being nervous about stalling the car, the 51-year-old managed the clutch expertly, avoiding any mishaps in front of thousands of fans and his own team’s employees.

Horner’s wife, Geri Halliwell, was also present to support him. Noticing the nervous expression on her husband’s face, she offered two words of advice before he set off: “Don’t crash!”

After the successful run, Horner was quoted as saying, “Having never driven a Red Bull car before, it’s a hugely proud moment to drive a car that had been designed and built by all the men and women in Milton Keynes, and we won our Championship with it in 2012.”

All in all, it was an eventful afternoon for the Briton, who got a taste of what his former driver Vettel felt like behind the wheel of the iconic car.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Christian Horner Red Bull Sebastian Vettel

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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