Christian Horner will only be tempted to move to MotoGP if he can lead the sport, says Italian journalist Roberto Chinchero.
A surprising appearance in the MotoGP paddock The Spanish Grand Prix weekend will inevitably fuel rumors that the former Red Bull F1 boss could take over one of the teams. Interest in the sport has increased significantly since the acquisition of Liberty Media.
Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner recently bought Tech3, while Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola and Trackhouse’s Davide Brivio occupy the top spots in the four-wheeled paddock.
Christian Horner may be eyeing Carmelo Izpeleta’s role in MotoGP.
Chinchero by A Motorsport Italy A Q&A on whether he could be the new Gresini boss after appearing in their garage. Britain is out of a job after 20 years of being kicked out by Red Bull.
Nadia Padovani, wife of the late founder Fausto Gresini, is the current owner and team principal, while Michel Massini is the team manager. Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has previously discussed investing in Gresini.
But Chinchero suspects Horner has bigger ambitions. Know that Freedom media They may want to replace Carmelo Ezpeleta with their own ‘man’, he can lead the sport himself.
Want to see Christian Horner in MotoGP?
Independence in 2010 In 2020, he appointed F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali as former Ferrari team principal. Previously, Chase Carey replaced longtime leader Bernie Ecclestone.
Chinchero said: “Look, the only role I can imagine for Christian Horner is the head of everything, the independent media guy, the Domenicali of Formula 1, the boss of MotoGP. I don’t see him in any other roles.
“It’s true that the Izpeleta family is still there, but when independence comes in, they bring their people. It happened in Formula 1, even someone like Bernie Ecclestone stepped aside and brought his people in just because they have a system and therefore need to do something different.
Liberty recently rebranded Dorna as the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, but retained Izpeleta in the CEO position he’s held since the mid-90s.
What we know about Christian Horner’s ambitions after F1 return talks
Horner became the most powerful man in F1 in terms of length of tenure and track record, but he was still an employee of Red Bull’s ownership. It was not entirely clear whether he was above motorsport consultant Helmut Marko in the hierarchy.
Horner has considered many ways to return to the sport since last summer, but wants to strengthen his hold on any new team by acquiring a stake in the business. He is known to have held talks with Alpine and Aston Martin, but neither deal has reached this stage.
The 52-year-old, who has strong backing from investors, had been thinking of setting up his own F1 team, but may now be considering a shock career change.
Although he may miss the competitive fire that comes with leading a team, he will have more influence as MotoGP CEO than he did in F1.
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