Horner refutes rumour about Ford CEO: 'Absolutely not'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
For months, the relationship between Red Bull Racing and Ford, the future partner in the Red Bull Powertrains project, is said to have been distant, but that since weekend everything is back on track. The Telegraph reported on Sunday that a conversation took place in Monza between team principal Christian Horner and Jim Farley (CEO of Ford). After the Italian Grand Prix, Horner confirmed the meeting, but he refuted that the conversation was necessary to resolve mutual dissatisfaction.
When Christian Horner was investigated for alleged transgressive behaviour towards a female colleague - for which he has since been cleared following an internal Red Bull investigation - Ford were one of the first companies affiliated with the racing team to voice their concerns about the incident. The letter in which the US manufacturer that made this known was then quickly leaked.
According to the Telegraph, in the months that followed, there was hardly any top-level consultation between the parties, apart from an occasional online meeting. At Monza, Horner and Farley saw each other again for the first time in a long time. Asked by GPblog if that meeting was important, Horner said, "He's our partner for 2026. It's the first race he's been at this year, so it was good to see him, and obviously catch up with what's going on with the powertrains."
'No hard feelings' said Horner
Horner, when asked a follow-up question on whether there was any friction between Red Bull and Ford, stated, "No, absolutely not." Contacts are sure to intensify further in the coming period, as the moment when the Red Bull Powertrain Ford is introduced draws ever closer.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
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