From motorsport also-ran to running motorsport: could it be possible that Red Bull honcho Horner is being lined up to take over from Bernie Ecclestone when he retires/resigns/dies? It may sound incredible but this is exactly the suggestion made today by Paul Weaver, F1 columnist of The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/may/15/bernie-ecclestone-f1-bribery-charges Now, I hadn't given a lot of thought as to who would fill the old man's shoes but certainly Horner's name comes as a bit of a shock. Any ideas as to why he is being touted as Bernie's successor because, frankly, I'm at a loss?! Edit: On a more serious note, who do you think should replace Bernie in the unlikely event that he's not immortal and/or above the law?
Why you say? It could be that... - He's his love child? - Bernie's invented a time machine, got plastic surgery came back and IS Christian Horner, they can co-exist in the same time line as long as they don't share the same hair dresser? - Horner beat him in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors?
Bloody hope not, there are rumours that Horner basically acts as a middle man between the teams and Bernie. Knowing F1 though it would not surprise me if they brought Flavio back then we would have seen it all!
What exactly is Ecclestone's role? It's a complicated arrangement, it's not a case of just hiring another Bernie. CVC will want whoever takes over to simply make them as much money as possible, so whether you agree with who they appoint or not is irrelevant since we'll all wind up hating him anyway. I don't think anyone could do Bernie's job as well he does it, the way he manipulates everyone to get what he wants is impressive. I think CVC are the real problem, or having a commercial rights holder at all. It would be better for the sport if it was owned by the teams in my opinion. Something's going to have to give in the near future, Bernie's time is drawing to an end and there's still no concorde agreement in place for next season. I'm not really sure why you're baffled by Horner being touted as a successor though Max. He seems an obvious candidate to me, he's a businessman, a racing man and a successful team boss and a team owner in lower formulae. He understands the politics involved better than most. Ron Dennis is the only other person I can think of who's suitable to the role but his relationship with the FIA and involvement with McLaren would be a stumbling block.
Well... Love child? Horner's short but is he short enough? Time machine? If anyone could bend time and space, I believe that man would be Bernie. Rock-Paper-Scissors? Now you're just being silly. Seriously though, Horner can't even control one of his own drivers, how would he control the whole sport?!!!
Despite my facetious tone, I did post this thread because I genuinely wonder why, so thanks for the points you make. I have little idea what goes on behind the scenes. I hadn't, for example, realised how close he is to Bernie and it explains a lot, especially regarding Red Bull's place in the pecking order, politically and financially speaking. My caveat is that he doesn't appear to be a team boss so much as a frontman while others actually control things; but as I said, I don't know what goes on behind the scenes. Interesting that you should mention Ron Dennis, who has just reduced his role at McLaren
I have no idea either. I genuinely don't know what his official role is, if he even has one, or many. I couldn't imagine him being employed by CVC, does he own shares in them or the Formula One Group or does he just act as an intermediary between the teams, the FIA, the circuits and the commercial rights holders as some sort of hobby? It's all pretty murky. I imagine him being a bit like a football agent, just leaching of the deals he brokers, but I really don't know. On Horner being a frontman, his role, like the other team principles involves a lot of negotiating with other teams, FOTA, the FIA, Pirelli, the stewards etc. rather than just the media work. I think if you were looking for someone who really understand the politics involved in F1 you'd look to a team principal. Horner actually owns teams in lower formulae though, that's how he came to Red Bull's attention, so I imagine he has a better business sense than most of the others, especially since a lot of the time, before he joined RBR, he'd have been gambling with his own money. This is why I also think Ron Dennis would be good, in fact I think he'd be the best man for it but as he's a major shareholder of McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive he wouldn't be impartial. Presumably if Horner got the job he'd simply leave Red Bull. It would be far easier for Horner to extricate himself from Red Bull than it would for Dennis to do with McLaren.
But don't the Bahrainians and Ojjeh want Dennis out? If so could make it easier for Dennis to make the transition than it would be for Horner.
It seems his political prowess behind the scenes must be a lot better than his media skills - but wouldn't he need expertise in both? It's a very interesting portrait you paint of him and a far cry from the trapped weasel squealing in front of the cameras that I'm used to seeing Anyway, as for the job itself, Bernie's role is indeed mysterious and looking increasingly murky but, whatever his official capacity, it's clear that he wields an extraordinary amount of power. As long as he's getting the returns for CVC, they would tolerate that but it's hard to see how any replacement could have the same teeth; that's why Horner seems to me a strange choice when the likes of Marko and Vettel seem to have the upper hand within his own team.
So they say and, who knows, maybe Dennis sees an opportunity and wants out himself? Awkward it may be but would it be any of the FIA's business? They've seemed pretty toothless since Mosley went. Wasn't there a woman touted as a possible successor a while back? I've forgotten her name but it was Latin-sounding. Haven't heard of her recently though, which maybe why I've forgotten it
A quick google suggests Justin King (CEO Sainsbury's) and Richard Scudamore (Premier League), and that female favourite would be Sacha Jane Woodward-Hill, Bernie's lawyer. She's also on the board of F1's holding company. There's a host of other names here. Bernie himself expects to step down within 1-3 years judging by the date of the article.
