Following Christian Horner’s firing from Red Bull Racing last month, rumors began swirling on social media that the tenured team principal was looking for employment at a rival Formula 1 team. In fact, one of my favorite memes from the whole debacle was a LinkedIn mockup of Horner’s profile pic with the message “#OpenToWork.” Of course, one such rumor placed Horner at Cadillac, which, despite already having a team principal, is still hiring and onboarding much of its personnel. That rumor is now dead.
Speaking to the media during a press conference to confirm Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as its maiden drivers,
Dan Towriss, CEO of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, categorically denied any involvement with the ousted executive.
“There have been no talks with Christian Horner, and there are no plans to do that,” said Towriss. “I’d like to officially shut down that rumor. Our support, belief, and backing are in [current team principal] Graeme Lowdon.”
While popular opinion for Horner varies across the paddock, the overall perception is that he is persona non grata in the boardrooms of many automakers due to his Google Drive scandal of 2024. His (and Red Bull’s) handling of the claims of inappropriate behavior made by a female employee is seen by many as unfair, and yet another example of how those in power manage to avoid any real consequences for their actions.
Whether it’s this or another factor that keeps Horner from being employed in F1 again is yet to be seen. For what it’s worth, the sport seemingly has a short-term memory problem, at least judging by Flavio Briatore’s return to F1 after blatantly fixing a grand prix’s outcome. Or, perhaps morality does not factor into some teams’ hiring decisions. In any case, Cadillac’s leadership doesn’t appear to be interested in the ex-Red Bull chief’s services.
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