Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has addressed speculation that Christian Horner could join the team after formally leaving Formula 1 rivals Red Bull last month.
Horner, who received a $100m settlement payout from Red Bull following his sudden departure from the team after the British Grand Prix, is rumoured to be plotting a return to F1.
Several avenues are available to the Briton, with several teams at the centre of speculation he could take over the reigns as Team Principal, should an agreement be reached.
Haas boss Ayao Komatsu has confirmed Horner approached him regarding a role with the American based squad, but these talks have not progressed beyond the exploratory stage.
Aston Martin is another potential destination for the ousted Red Bull Racing CEO and Team Principal, with Cowell addressing the rumours on Thursday in Singapore.
Asked about the situation, Cowell was initially coy in his response, highlighting the team being built around Adrian Newey, Horner’s former Chief Technology Officer.
“I think Christian’s taking some time out at the moment,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“He’s probably enjoying time with friends and family. He loves the sport though. And I wish him well with whatever he ends up doing in the future,”
“We’ve got a strong team with Adrian [Newey] at the helm of the technical organisation and we’re growing and building.”
Cowell praises the Horner Red Bull legacy amid Aston Martin rumours
Cowell praised Horner’s time at Red Bull, but reiterated his desire to focus on growing Aston Martin’s developing technical staff behind the scenes with Newey.
“I think Christian’s record speaks for itself,” he said. “He’s a great competitor. I guess it’s down to Christian to work out what he wants to do.
He might want to walk away from the sport, he might want to do something else in the sport, but that’s down to Christian.
“I think we’ve got a strong set-up and we’re marching forward with that.”
We’re a relatively young team, we’ve got great facilities, we’re developing the tools, we’ve taken on strong people like Adrian, Enrico [Cardile], Jack Vino on the aero side.
“But there are also people internally, there’s a guy called Michael Hart that works hour by hour with Adrian on Aero development, Giles Wood and so on.
“And with Lawrence’s [Stroll] vision and with the sponsorship revenues that are coming in driven by Jeff [Jefferson Slack, Commercial Director]. I think we’ve got a we’ve got a pretty strong team.”
Asked if Horner could join the team, Cowell offered a cryptic response that did not rule out the possibility of a reunion between Newey and his former boss.
“I think I’ll refer back to what I said. We’ve got a plan and we’re marching forward. I guess Christian needs to work out where he wants to play a part in the future. Who knows what will happen,” he concluded.
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