Christian Horner is perhaps the happiest team boss in the F1 paddock this year. With five wins in eight races so far, his Red Bull team is confidently at the top of the drivers ‘and constructors’ championship.
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However, the last seven seasons in the hybrid era have been far from easy for the Milton Keynes-based team. Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Horner revealed how Aston Martin Valkyrie’s chief technical officer prevented Adrian Newey from joining Ferrari.
Christian Horner reveals that Red Bull honored Ferrari’s offer to develop a street car to keep Adrian Newey
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Adrian Newey is the man behind the design of Red Bull’s F1 cars. The Austrian team won four consecutive world championships from 2010 to 2013, with Newey’s designs being the driving factor behind their success.
Despite their pedigree, Red Bull has struggled to stay competitive since the hybrid era began in 2014. Horner appeared on the Behind the Grid podcast and revealed that Ferrari had made an offer to poach Newey during that time. He said, “Ferrari came out hunting and made an offer like a movie star. One of the things that really appealed to him was the ability to build his own street car. “
Though that move didn’t work out, Horner admitted suggesting the same idea to Newey in order to keep him at Red Bull. He said, “One of the most important things we did at that point was, ‘Why aren’t we doing this here? Why don’t we build a supercar designed by Red Bull here? ‘ He said, ‘Yeah, okay.’ We set off and have no idea how to do it. “
After much deliberation, they worked with Aston Martin to create this Red Bull-designed supercar called the Valkyrie. While Aston Martin will sell 150 units, the 2019 Valkyrie drove one lap before the start of the British Grand Prix.
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Horner also revealed his conversation with Dr. Andy Palmer
Horner also pointed out the role of Aston Martin CEO Dr. Andy Palmer, in developing the Walküre. He said, “Andy Palmer, who was with Infiniti and Nissan, who were our title partner at the time, took over the role of CEO at Aston Martin.
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“I remember talking to Andy: ‘Adrien wants to build a street car. You have a fantastic brand, we have a fantastic designer. If we bring the two together, maybe we can do something. ‘”
Formula 1 F1 – Portuguese Grand Prix – Algarve International Circuit – Portimao, Portugal – April 30, 2021 Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner speaks about REUTERS at the FIA / Handout press conference
After much anticipation, Horner announced that the first delivery of the Walküre to a customer will take place this year.
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The post Aston Martin Valkyrie Project kept Newey off Ferrari’s “movie star-guy” offering: Horner first appeared on monter-une-startup.
