The F1 thread

[Wrathbone]

Good call on the videos, cheers - always on the lookout for good-quality channels to listen to while I'm working.

[Snowy]

It's been twelve years since the accident, it's been pretty clear for a long time that we'll never see the man again - you don't go from being one of the world's most famous sporting figures to a total and absolute media blackout for over a decade if it's an accident you can recover from.

I worked for a while with the ex-COO of Lotus and RBR. He told me that Michael's injury was caused by his affixing his go-pro to his helmet incorrectly. When he hit the rock, it drove the securing bolt of the go-pro through his skull and into his brain. We are a clever species, but we don't know how to repair that kind of damage sadly.

[DjchunKfunK]

Horner's apparently been sacked, official announcement expected soon.

[Wrathbone]

About time!

[Raid]

I genuinely used to like Horner, when compared to the likes of Ron Dennis he was a breath of fresh air, but my word how that opinion changed over the last decade. He's a smarmy, slimy, wretchedly unsporting mouthpiece happy to have his team moan and complain about every single advantage their opponents have or apparent slight on a Red Bull driver they make during the race. I'm happy to see the back of him, and not just because I can stop being associated with the man due to my very similar name.

The question though is *why* he's been sacked. Did Red Bull's internal investigation over his being a sex pest actually bear fruit? Has he been instrumental in pushing the current car design philosophy and ruining the team's constructor championship campaign? Has Max given the ultimatum that he's leaving unless Horner goes? Have they in fact lost Max with him citing Horner as part of the problem, and this is the only response commensurate to losing the best driver on the grid?

It's entirely possible, given that Red Bull's statement doesn't even mention Horner (no "we thank Christian for the 8 successful championship campaigns he lead", or even "we wish him the best") , that they're trying to distance themselves from him as they know something worse is going to come out shortly. It's only two years since Red Bull had the most dominant car the sport has ever seen; you have to be pretty damned cold, or have a better reason, not to acknowledge just how much success Horner's had while in charge.

[Wrathbone]

The question though is *why* he's been sacked. Did Red Bull's internal investigation over his being a sex pest actually bear fruit? Has he been instrumental in pushing the current car design philosophy and ruining the team's constructor championship campaign? Has Max given the ultimatum that he's leaving unless Horner goes? Have they in fact lost Max with him citing Horner as part of the problem, and this is the only response commensurate to losing the best driver on the grid?

A little of all those, I imagine. If F1 has proven anything to be true, it's that you can get away with basically anything if you're on top, and Red Bull are no longer on top and appear to be on a damning downward trajectory. I know Adrian Newey has brushed aside claims that he left because of Horner, but the timing of it was so conspicuous (as was Jonathan Wheatley's departure) that I have to believe it was a factor, and his departure was a death knell for the team. If Horner had made hay within his team while the grass was green, perhaps Red Bull would have given him the benefit of the doubt during a performance slump and continued to turn a blind eye to his rule-breaking and inappropriate behaviour, but instead he's cultivated the persona of a total arsehole.

Is anyone in the paddock actually going to miss him?