Bernie Ecclestone pushed ‘very hard’ for Christian Horner to turn 19-podium team into Red Bull

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Christian Horner hasn’t made his return to Formula 1 yet after leaving Red Bull, but the course of his management career could have been very different if he’d listened to Bernie Ecclestone’s advice.

Red Bull sacked Christian Horner after last year’s British Grand Prix following 20 years in charge of the Anglo-Austrian outfit.

He was present for every race that the six-time constructors’ champions took part in, ever since their debut at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix.

However, when it looked like Max Verstappen’s chances of battling for a fifth consecutive championship were over last season, Red Bull decided a change of direction was needed.

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Laurent Mekies was put in charge of Red Bull, and as well as entering a new era of F1 with the updated regulations now on full show at the private Barcelona shakedown, the likes of Adrian Newey, Helmut Marko and Jonathan Wheatley all leaving the team means Red Bull look completely different to when the team made their debut.

Red Bull started their F1 journey by taking over Jaguar, but Horner has now revealed that Bernie Ecclestone was pushing for the energy drink giants to try and take over Eddie Jordan’s ailing Jordan team instead.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Bernie Ecclestone wanted Christian Horner to turn Jordan into Red Bull

Speaking at the European Motor Show, Horner revealed: “When I was a young driver, when I was 16 or 17 years of age, I went to see him, and he just set up the Jordan Formula One team.

“And, I went to see him for some advice. I had a sponsor who was supporting me, who was also supporting him. And I went into his office in the brand new factory that he’d just built at Silverstone and sat in front of him, and I said, “What advice would you give me?

“And he said, “Get a good lawyer and a good sponsor.” It wasn’t the kind of advice that I was expecting. But then from that point onwards, he was always very supportive whenever I saw him at a racetrack.

“We really started talking again at the end of his time in Formula One, where he was looking to exit the sport, and you know, he tried to sell me the team, and Bernie Ecclestone was pushing me very hard to see if I could find a solution with Eddie, but it didn’t happen.

“I mean, Jordan Grand Prix very, very nearly became the Red Bull team. It was that close to happening, and in the end, the deal, Jaguar were selling, and the deal went there instead, but there were a lot of talks around that time.”

READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? All you need to know from Red Bull to net worth

How did Jordan’s time in Formula 1 end as Red Bull made their debuts

Jordan and Red Bull did end up racing against each other in 2005, but it was clear that Eddie Jordan’s team were struggling.

After achieving 19 podium finishes and four victories during their history, Jordan sold his team to the Midland group in 2005, although they retained their name for one last season before becoming MF1.

Jordan still managed to achieve one last podium in 2005, during the incredibly controversial United States Grand Prix, thanks to Tiago Monteiro.

Although they were far more successful than Jaguar’s F1 efforts, their previous backing from Ford gave them better resources for Red Bull to launch their own team.

The remnants of Jordan’s team still exist in Formula 1 today in the form of Aston Martin.

Jordan helped negotiate Newey’s move to Aston Martin, and so 20 years after the genius designer decided to move to Red Bull, he’s now finally ended up at their Silverstone base despite Ecclestone’s efforts to make that move happen sooner.