Horner and Brundle met on the grid at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore 11 years ago when the former was still with Red Bull and began a comical back-and-forth. “Shame you’re too old to have driven here, really, you would have liked it,” quipped an amused Horner when Brundle approached him about the track.
After a few seconds to think of a witty comeback, Brundle chimed: “I am too old to have driven here. Shame you weren’t fast enough to get into Formula 1!” Horner could only laugh at the ruthless comment as the interview ended and ex-F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone watched on with a grin.
Brundle spent 12 seasons as an F1 driver and managed to achieve nine podium finishes. He partnered with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna on the grid. On the other hand, Horner had aimed to race in F1 but only got as far as Formula 3000. He called it quits just as Brundle was taking up a broadcaster role with Sky Sports.
In July of this year, it was announced that Horner would be relieved of his duties at Red Bull due to both on-track and off-track controversies. This departure was confirmed in September, with the 51-year-old receiving a reported payout of £52m for having his contract ripped up.
Speaking to Justin Bell on his Drive to Wynn Podcast, Horner opened up about when he knew he wasn’t going to make it as a driver. He specifically recalled an incident during pre-season testing in 1998.
“I remember driving out the pit lane in Portugal and there was a very fast right-hander at the end of the straight,” began Horner, referencing the Portuguese circuit of Estoril.
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“So as you come out of the pits and I remember [Juan Pablo] Montoya coming past me and I just saw this car at an angle that I couldn’t even imagine, let alone replicate and the commitment that he had in this high-speed corner, you could see the rim trying to pop out the side of the tyre.
“And there’s a barrier 10 meters from the side of the track. And I just thought, I just can’t do that. My head and foot are too connected. I knew at that point that my driving days… I was going to stop at the end of the year.”