sport news Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the rise of F1 in the USA - and the ... trends now
As Christian Horner strolls into the room, flanked by Netflix's Drive to Survive camera crew, he exudes an air of calm. And what reason is there to be stressed?
His superstar driver, Max Verstappen, is heading into the 2023 season having won back-to-back drivers' titles, and the F1 constructors' trophy is sitting in a cabinet back home at Red Bull's Milton Keynes base. 'Where it belongs,' Horner says.
He is in New York for his first visit in years, hours away from fronting Red Bull's launch of the RB19, their car for the new season. Yet again, they are breaking new ground - this time becoming the first F1 team in history to launch a car in the States.
Their choice of location is far from random. The US is Formula One's biggest growth market, with American owners at the helm, the Las Vegas Grand Prix about to become the third US race on the calendar, and an American driver in Logan Sargeant ready to take his place on the grid.
The Netflix generation of fans have arrived in their droves, and Red Bull are among the first to properly embrace their presence, spreading their Wings across the States.
Max Verstappen ran away with the F1 drivers' title last season, winning an incredible 15 races
Christian Horner was also celebrating after Red Bull won the constructors' title by a landslide
So what next? Could there even be a fourth US race on the horizon? Perhaps a street race in New York City?
'It would be amazing,' Horner says in an exclusive chat with DailyMail.com, Times Square's constant glow clearly visible from his hotel room window. 'Racing in big cities in the US is really exciting. A race here in the Big Apple, for example, what a spectacle that would be.
'You can never say never [to a fourth US race]. We've got other North American races as well, with Montreal, and there's certainly demand for it, so why not? It's great that there's that much interest in Formula One in the US.
'We're fortunate to race in great venues, whether it's the street circuit of Miami, or the track in Austin… Vegas this year is going to be an absolutely insane event too.'
For Horner more than most, the steep rise in F1's popularity has been strongly felt. For years, his wife Geri took the spotlight when they went out, fans stopping to ask the former Spice Girl for photos while he waited patiently alongside.
Now, though, things have changed, and it was him being recognized as they arrived at US immigration on Thursday afternoon. He is a main character in one of Netflix's biggest shows, and now a household name to many across the world.
F1 is heading to Las Vegas later this year, becoming the third American race on the calendar
Geri Horner (R) is used to being stopped for photos, but it's a new phenomenon for Christian
Horner says a race through the streets of New York City would be 'amazing' and a 'spectacle'
'The sport is growing exponentially, globally, but particularly in the US,' he adds. 'You feel it when you arrive, the guy at immigration knows who you are. It's a step change from where it was previously, and the more we build on that and use that momentum the better.'
As reported by the Mail on Thursday night, Red Bull will this morning also announce a collaboration with Ford, in a move that sees the US car giant return to F1 for the first time since 2004.
Ford will partner Red Bull Powertrains, the team’s in-house engine division, meaning the famous Blue Oval badge will return in 2026, when Formula One shifts to fully
