Christian Horner blasts Aston Martin’s unveiling of Red Bull employee Adrian Newey

Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, has reacted to rival Aston Martin's reveal of current Red Bull Racing design chief Adrian Newey as their upcoming Managing Technical Partner. During a recent media interaction, Horner expressed that the celebration was premature.

Ever since Newey announced his departure from Red Bull Racing in May 2024, there has been much speculation about his next destination. Both Ferrari and Aston Martin were rumored to be interested in securing his services. Following extensive negotiations with both teams, the 65-year-old ultimately decided to join Aston Martin.

Apart from a reported salary of £3,434 per hour, Newey has also been offered the role of partner (shareholder) by the Silverstone-based team. The announcement, made at a grand press conference at their Silverstone facility, seems to have irked Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner.

During a pre-race press conference in Baku, Horner criticized Aston Martin for their premature celebration of signing Newey.

"It was obviously a large announcement by Aston and Adrian has always tended to do his own thing so obviously it was a big moment for that team. They chose to celebrate it perhaps potentially slightly prematurely before he has finished his contract with Red Bull Racing but obviously it was a big moment for that team," Horner said.

The same was shared by Motorsport.com on its X page. Here's a look at the post, captioned:

"Red Bull boss Horner believes Aston Martin's high-profile unveiling of Adrian Newey was "premature" as he is still under contract with the Milton Keynes team."

While expressing his disapproval of Aston Martin's approach to announcing Newey's arrival, Horner also spoke highly of his two decade-long colleague.

"Adrian is obviously a very creative guy and he is not your average designer, I think he is the only person still in Formula 1 working on a drawing board,...He is unique in many respects, and I think that Aston will obviously look to draw upon his huge experience," he added.

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"It is a flat-out fight over the last eight races," - Christian Horner confident about defending the champion's title, despite Red Bull Racing's recent challenges

Red Bull Racing has not been able to win the last six Grand Prix due to the lack of pace against its rivals McLaren and Ferrari. Despite the setback, team principal Christian Horner remains optimistic about defending their championship title in the remaining eight races of the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Although the Austrian team began its campaign this year on a high note, their rivals, McLaren and Ferrari, have gradually narrowed the gap in the Constructors' Championship.

As of now, the Milton- Keynes-based squad leads with 446 points, with the British team close on its heels with 438 points and the Italian outfit in third place with 407 points. During a pre-race press conference in Baku, Horner expressed confidence in Red Bull Racing's ability to retain their championship title in 2024.

“There is everything to play for...The constructors’ is a three-horse race. We are eight points ahead of McLaren but you can’t discount Ferrari either. They have quietly snuck their way back into this. It is a flat-out fight over the last eight races," he said.

In addition to defending their Constructors' Championship title, Horner believes that Max Verstappen, the reigning triple World Champion, has the potential to secure his fourth consecutive championship title in 2024.