Most racing memoirs begin with a story of a childhood moment or an experience that opened up a life to the world of motorsport. But Christian Horner's Drive skips the foreplay and goes straight to the good bit: the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The now-legendary race confirmed Max Verstappen's first Formula 1 world title, albeit while being a little divisive.
The former Red Bull chief explained why he chose to start his book here in a discussion with Motorsport.com ahead of the book's 22 October release.
A hook using a season worthy of a whole book
"I just wanted to grab the reader, you know, page one," Horner said, treating the opening as a storytelling decision rather than something he needed to get off his chest.
Then-Mercedes driver Hamilton and Red Bull ace Verstappen arrived at the finale level on points - a rare end to what was an exciting year. Red Bull also went in 28 points behind Mercedes in the constructors' standings. Horner argues the whole thing was beyond fiction:
"That season was an epic. I mean, the whole book could have just been about 2021. But you know, all of that coming down to that final race in Abu Dhabi. There was so much pressure through that year, such an intense rivalry between Lewis and Max and the two teams and it culminating in Abu Dhabi where both drivers arrive equal on points.
"If it had been a script in a film you'd have never believed it. It felt like a good place to start and then unpack things from there."
There is also the matter of what that race left behind. The last-lap finish remains contentious, and it ended with then race director Michael Masi leaving his post. Starting there means Horner owns the most argued-over chapter of his career from the first page, instead of leaving critics to describe it for him. For a book promoted as an account of roughly 20 years in Formula 1, that is a confident way to begin.
Christian Horner
Photo by: Autosport
Toto Wolff was the opponent Red Bull needed
Focus then turned to the other side of the pitwall, where Horner's rival, Toto Wolff, sat in his Mercedes garage. With our own Stuart Codling comparing their relationship to old comedy double act Hinge and Bracket, a pair who love to hate each other, Horner was unsurprisingly warm towards his former nemesis.
"Toto's a formidable competitor and Mercedes are a massive team and of course the success that they've enjoyed and had... that's what made '21 even more important to us. But he's emotional, he's competitive, he's driven and we enjoyed our rivalry.
"I mean, I have huge respect for what he's done and achieved. But I think in all sport, you need to have rivalry. You can't all just be best friends all of the time. It's not true to the reality. And certainly, that was a way of galvanising the team that - Mercedes are the opposition. We have to try and, as a subsidiary of an energy drinks company, take them on and take the fight to them."
Horner's UK book tour runs from 17 to 26 October, with a copy of the book included in each ticket. His career is a culmination of 124 grand prix victories, 14 world titles, 287 podium finishes across 405 races. With a record like that to his name, you could open a book at any point. But choosing the night his rivalry with Hamilton and Mercedes truly reached its peak - that's what makes it a page-turner.