Horner’s job is on the line at Red Bull (2nd Update)
Horner has ended speculation over his future by revealing he actually signed an extension to his current deal.
"I didn’t lose any sleep over it because it is absolutely not true," he told Sky Sports F1. "I recently signed an extension to my contract with Red Bull, I have a great relationship with Dietrich and my goal is very much on getting the team back to the situation we were in 18 months ago.
"It is total rubbish. The thing is not to put too much energy into things like that, but in the world we live in sometimes people from rival teams say things and they get picked up and then a story goes on the internet and it goes from there.
"That is the problem with social media – two weeks ago I was taking over from Bernie, this week I was leaving the team, next week I’ll be driving the car probably."
06/24/15 This rumor is downgraded to 'false' today. Dr Helmut Marko has slammed rumors Red Bull is set to oust its F1 team boss Christian Horner.
Briton Horner has already dismissed the rumors about him being replaced by F1 legend Gerhard Berger, insisting he has a "long contract" and a good relationship with Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz.
And now Marko, Mateschitz's right-hand man and, like Berger, a fellow Austrian, said of the rumors: "That's all absolute nonsense.
"Whoever put that rumor into the world plucked it completely out of thin air. It is simply not true," he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper.
The rumors, however, contend that Berger, 55, has been stalking the paddock recently in search of a new job, having sold his stake in Toro Rosso some years ago and stepped down as the FIA's junior single seater chief.
Asked if he can imagine a job helping F1 to solve its problems, he insisted: "No.
"We have a very competent FIA president and a super-successful top executive in Bernie Ecclestone.
"When the two combine their powers, they will soon have the problem under control," he told the Austrian news agency APA.
Interestingly, Horner has also been linked with a top job in F1 management.
"I see it this way," the Briton told Bild newspaper. "I have a commitment to this team (Red Bull) for many more years.
"My mission is to bring Red Bull back to the top. But it's true that you can't always predict what will happen in the future," Horner added.
Also fascinatingly, Berger's fellow F1 legend Alain Prost is also not ruling out a return to a management role in the sport.
The Frenchman told the broadcaster Canal Plus that returning to F1 is "not impossible".
Prost is already an ambassador for Renault, Red Bull's troubled works engine supplier. Berger said: "I see no sign that Renault is doing what it needs to do to get out of this situation."
And he added it is "absolutely conceivable" that the situation could cause Red Bull to quit F1.
06/22/15
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| Christian Horner looking over his shoulder? |
The man who oversaw Red Bull's rise to the summit of Formula One has rebuffed suggestions that he is facing the axe after a humiliating home race for the team.
Christian Horner, Red Bull's team principal, had to watch his cars finish 10th and 12th in the Austrian Grand Prix, an event staged by Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire behind the empire, at huge expense.
The paddock in Spielberg was full of rumors that Mateschitz is losing patience with Horner and may seek to install fellow Austrian Gerhard Berger – the former driver who conducted the haphazard podium ceremony after the race on Sunday – in the top job. Berger formerly owned half of Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso, with Mateschitz.
But Horner hit back, saying: "I have a long contract with the team. It is difficult but I had dinner with Dietrich on Saturday evening and we still get along very well. We know we have problems but we just have to work through them and I am here to do that job."
It would be foolish of Mateschitz to ditch Horner, given he has assembled a highly professional team and prevented Adrian Newey, the design genius behind their championships from 2010 to 2013, leaving for Ferrari. While this year's chassis is far from their best, the majority of Red Bull's problems lie with engine supplier Renault.
This is what has left Mateschitz so frustrated: the apparent inability to catch up under Formula One's rigid regulations. Renault has taken a huge amount of flak publicly and appears to be heading for the exit door. Ferrari suggested they would be happy to supply Red Bull with an engine but this was little more than mischievous talk by the company's president, Sergio Marchionne.
Horner said: "Dietrich Mateschitz doesn't talk on the record that often and everything he says leaves nothing to interpret because he says what he thinks. He is ultimately a fan and that is why he has committed so much of Red Bull's marketing programs to Formula One, not just with Red Bull but with Sauber and young driver programs over 20 years.
"The risk for Formula One is when someone like Dietrich starts to fall out of love with it. That is a big worry because we need people like Dietrich to be engaged. He runs a multinational company that does not exist because of Formula One. If F1 is not generating a return or coverage for him, then, of course, he will raise questions about it. That is his concern about the sport in general and the situation regarding the regulations and his two teams."
The embarrassment was keenly felt not just by Red Bull and Renault in Austria. McLaren-Honda endured a miserable weekend, incurring a combined grid penalty of 50 places and seeing their race end after just eight laps.
"Formula One cannot afford for Renault and Honda to be in this situation," Horner added. "We had the new president of Honda in Austria and we didn't put on a great show for him. For Renault, it is not a great encouragement for them to invest further in the sport when the penalties are being imposed and there is public embarrassment over engine failure. We need to look at it for sure." The Telegraph