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Christian Horner memoir revelations on Red Bull recruitment

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2026-10-20 12:14 UTC → 2026-10-21 03:57 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In his upcoming memoir, “Drive”, former Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner details various past and recent attempts to recruit high-profile drivers to the team. Horner reveals that he sought to sign Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc to partner with Max Verstappen for the 2025 season, following a performance decline by Sergio Perez. He claims Alonso showed interest during the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, but the move was reportedly blocked by Helmut Marko. Horner also pursued Leclerc due to his speed and attitude, but faced similar opposition from Marko. Additionally, Horner discloses that Lewis Hamilton considered joining Red Bull prior to his 2012 move to Mercedes. According to the memoir, a meeting held at designer Adrian Newey’s home indicated Hamilton’s interest, but the deal failed because of the financial requirements involved. Horner notes that during this period, Hamilton was experiencing frustration at McLaren due to technical failures and tensions with Jenson Button. While Newey was reportedly enthusiastic about pairing Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel, Helmut Marko expressed skepticism, fearing Hamilton might disrupt the team dynamic and Vettel’s position as the lead driver.

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