Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has predicted the career paths Christian Horner could choose outside of Formula One after his sudden ousting from the Red Bull Racing F1 team.
Horner spent 20 years with Red Bull, celebrating six constructors’ championships and eight drivers’ titles. Red Bull parted ways with him with immediate effect on Wednesday, but the reason for his exit hasn’t been revealed.
Clarkson, famous for his work on Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm, opened up about a similar situation he had been in when the BBC dismissed him for punching Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon.
Clarkson began his column in The Sun by pointing out how Horner’s ousting had been linked to an incident last year when he was accused by a female colleague of inappropriate behavior, despite Red Bull clearing him of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation. He wrote:
“All week, the permanently angry women of Instagram have been filling their social media channels with spittle-flecked rage about Christian Horner.
“‘How come,’ they wailed, ‘he got away scot-free after sexting a colleague, but has now been fired because Red Bull isn’t winning as much as it used to?’”
The former Top Gear producer then presented his arguments. He continued:
“Couple of things on that argument. Number one. After those texts were leaked, Red Bull had two inquiries. Horner was grilled for hours.
“And it was decided that he had no case to answer. So he couldn’t very well be sacked for an offence he hadn’t committed.
“And number two, we don’t actually know why he was fired. Yes, it’s possible his bosses showed him the door because the team wasn’t performing.
“The fact is that Horner took Red Bull from absolutely nothing to a team that won six constructor’s championships, eight drivers’ championships and 124 race wins.”
Clarkson opened up about the text he sent Horner, revealing that he had been in a similar situation in the past. He wrote:
“I sent him a text after the news of his dismissal broke, pointing out that I’ve been in his shoes in the past.
“I explained that when you wake the following morning, it’s easy to think, ‘Well, that’s that, then’.
The big question is, where does Horner go next? Clarkson ruled out F1 teams such as Alpine and Ferrari, given their links with Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. He explained:
“But where? The clever money is saying he’ll go to Alpine. But next year they will have Mercedes engines. Which means Christian would have to work with Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff.
“And as those two really don’t get on, I can’t see that happening. Ferrari? Possibly, but that would mean upping sticks and moving to Italy. And dealing with Sir Hamilton.”
Clarkson, however, mentioned other names that would be eager to sign Horner. He added:
“Audi is coming into the sport next year, and Cadillac. And there’s talk the Chinese are making F1 noises.
“And all of them would jump at the chance of getting Horner.”
Following his exit from the BBC, Clarkson continued his romance with cars and later became a full-time farmer, a line of work in which he had zero experience. The 65-year-old presenter wrote that Horner could similarly pursue a career outside of F1. He continued:
“The thing is, though, that as I proved after the Beeb let me go, you don’t necessarily have to do what you were doing before. I became a farmer.
“So on that basis, Christian Horner might re-emerge in a couple of years as an astronaut, or in an ice-cream van or as a Foreign Secretary.”
Predicting Red Bull’s fate, he concluded:
“And Red Bull?
“Well, look what happened to Man United when Ferguson was no longer at the helm.
“On that basis, this once-great team may well end up, in a couple of years, in Formula 4.”
The post Jeremy Clarkson Predicts Wild Future for Christian Horner Outside F1 appeared first on Newsweek.
