Horner left astonished by bizarre Newey revelation

Ex-Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan has revealed how Christian Horner reacted to learning of his involvement in Adrian Newey's departure from the team.

Red Bull confirmed earlier this month that Newey, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever F1 car designers, will exit the company in early 2025, bringing an end to his highly successful stint with the squad.

It was revealed that Jordan, who ran his own F1 team for 15 years, assisted Newey with his exit negotiations from Red Bull.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan recounted his first interaction with Red Bull boss Horner after he learned of his role in the departure. 

“Christian, do you know what he called me? Do you know what he called me when he found this? First of all, his jaw was somewhere around near the end of his trousers,” Jordan said. 

“You know, it’s quite a big jaw in the first place, but he called me: ‘Ah, EJ, you’re a fucking silent assassin.

“So I don’t know what a silent assassin is. Maybe you could tell us, DC [David Coulthard], what is that?”

Jordan's podcast co-host, 13-time grand prix winner Coulthard, responded: “Well, you’d rather be a silent assassin than somebody hearing you coming.

“No-one saw that coming at all. Nobody knew you were managing Adrian.”

Jordan praises Newey

Jordan and Newey are known to be friends, with the Irishman highlighting the skill of the 65-year-old and his prowess for F1 engineering. 

“I say to him: ‘Adrian, when you have a pencil in your hand and you are looking at a drawing board, there is nobody your equal’.

“Take the pencil out and you become just the same as the rest of us.

“I’m serious, he’s a normal guy.

“But inside that brain there is something really smart going out.

“He consistently gets it right. He’s a genius when it comes to evaluating how to take advantage of the rules, how to get the best out of them, how to make sure the team and the car maximises every avenue.”