Horner’s pre-Goodwood F1 test drive an uplift in Red Bull positivity

Even for someone who has experienced 381 starts in Formula 1, it is interesting how the nerves can still get to you. Christian Horner has been at all of Red Bull’s races and overseen its 120 victories and 277 podiums. But until just under a week ago, he had never sampled one of the cars that had powered his drivers to victory.

So when the opportunity came up to drive Sebastian Vettel’s RB8 at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, the very car the German won the 2012 F1 world championship in, it was too good an opportunity to turn down.

However, there was only one problem. Horner had not driven an F1 car since 1993, when he’d tested a Lotus that is now part of Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll’s collection of cars at the Norfolk team’s Hethel test track.

What followed was a last-minute opportunity for Horner to get a vital few laps in driving around Silverstone during a scheduled filming day – which proved to be an eye-opener.

“It was fun,” he said speaking after the Silverstone run where Liam Lawson had driven the team’s RB20 during the filming day. “It was the first time I’ve driven a Red Bull car and certainly the first time with a hand clutch and two pedals.”

He joked: “I wanted to set a benchmark for Liam! Sebastian was due to drive one of the cars but he’s on holiday with his family, and wasn’t able to make Goodwood.

“I haven’t driven a single seater since 1998 [in Formula 3000], and a Formula 1 car since 1993, so I thought well, there was the opportunity on Thursday just to drive a car with a hand clutch, and a left foot brake.

“It was a great honour and privilege to drive one of these amazing cars, a championship winning car, so I was standing in for Sebastian.”

Horner showed me some videos of him starting from the pitlane; a standing start from the garage could have proved too tricky on his first run. He was quizzed how he found it and added: “I was flat on the straight for about three seconds! It’s mind-boggling how quick these cars are and just how much aero influence there is.

“The biggest thing that struck me is when I lifted off, it’s like somebody’s thrown an anchor out with the amount of aerodynamic braking. And particularly with a blown diffuser that there was on that car.

“It’s like heavy braking in a road car and then when you hit the brakes and you’re struggling to keep your chin out of your chest! So I enjoyed it so much, I missed the…