Red Bull team principal Christian Horner extended a unique invitation to all 20 Formula 1 drivers, inviting them to his house for a barbecue ahead of the Silverstone race. However, not every driver took up the offer, leaving Horner with an interesting gathering of F1 personalities and insights.
As the team principal of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, Horner has been a prominent figure in the sport since he took over the role in 2005 at the age of 31, making him one of the youngest team principals in Formula 1 history, and certainly one of the wealthiest at a net worth of approximately £40 million according to PlanetF1.com.
As such, the team manager of Red Bull has a rather nice house.
Horner’s ‘crib’
Christian Horner’s epic £40 million fortune has allowed him to live an astonishing lifestyle away from the F1 track. The F1 boss is married to Gerri Horner (ne Halliwell) and they are regularly spotted at red carpet events and on lavish holidays as they enjoy a life of luxury away from work.
The couple own two magnificent country houses with properties in Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire. The Banbury house, where the BBQ took place, is considered his main base and has a number of impressive features including a lake.
The property has a sprawling garden and its own farm, where the Red Bull boss has three miniature donkeys, chickens and horses. Back in 2019, he told Luxury London: ‘Restoring the farm was my hobby – the way I put racing out of my mind. The main house is finished, but now the barns are being converted.
The BBQ party
Horner found the occasion particularly enlightening as he observed the interactions between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris, who were set to compete against each other in the British Grand Prix.
He noticed a great level of respect between the two drivers and witnessed their passion for racing unfold as they eagerly discussed various moments on the track, spanning from Formula 3 to karting. Indeed, it is known that the two drivers have been friends for some years on a personal level.
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Introducing the honey badger 🍯🦡
Daniel Ricciardo made his #F1 debut 12 years ago today at Silverstone 🙌#BritishGP @danielricciardo pic.twitter.com/Zv7A99fSia
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 10, 2023
“You could see he enjoyed racing with Lando,” Horner said in comments reported by crash.net after his lead driver won Silverstone.
“There’s a good respect between the two of them. He’s a racer. He enjoys racing. I had all the drivers for a barbecue at my house last night, and you could see, they go straight into talking about moments on-track.
“Their eyes light up about what happened here or there, or even in Formula 3 or karting. You see his eyes light up.”
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“Half the grid” turned up
Although Horner’s invitation was extended to the entire grid, only around half of the drivers attended the barbecue. Nonetheless, the gathering provided a fascinating opportunity for conversations and connections to form among the participants.
Red Bull’s victory at Silverstone marked their 11th consecutive win, a feat not achieved since McLaren’s dominance in 1988 with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Horner acknowledged the significance of this record and attributed it to the hard work, dedication, reliability, and strategic prowess of the team.
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“It’s an incredible record,” Horner said.
“McLaren 1988, with the McLaren-Honda, achieved those 11 victories with Senna and Prost.
“To think that we’ve matched that, that’s testimony to the hard work of the team, of the commitment, of the drivers, of reliability, of strategy. It’s hard to win a grand prix. “
“Winning 11 in a row is, and I think we’ve won, I think something, you’d have to do the maths, but it must be close to 19 of the last 20 or 18 of the last 19…”
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He expressed pride in the team’s accomplishment, especially at their home track, which is located just 15 miles from their factory and holds significance for many team members who reside in the area.
“It’s been a phenomenal run of success for us. I think it’s something, particularly here at Silverstone, our local circuit.
“The factory is only 15 miles up the road. We have so many employees living in the local area. To have achieved this result here is something the whole team can be immensely proud of.”
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Verstappen ‘burn out’?
As Max Verstappen continues his pursuit of a third consecutive Formula 1 championship, concerns arise about the potential for burnout. However, Horner dispelled such worries, describing Verstappen as a relaxed character who genuinely enjoys racing, claiming: “I don’t think he’ll burnout,” Horner said.
While acknowledging Verstappen’s passion, Horner humorously noted that the Dutch driver is unlikely to compete in F1 until he reaches the age of Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
“He’s a pretty laid back character, he enjoys his racing, he loves his racing.
“But I don’t think he’ll be racing when he’s Brad Pitt’s age in Formula 1.”
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This article is about everything except what the title says it’s about.
Am I the only one who is really curious to which drivers showed up? And who did not?