Christian Horner delivers 50th birthday quip as Las Vegas GP debut hype discussed

Red Bull’s Christian Horner celebrates his milestone birthday during the course of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.

The highly successful F1 team boss, who has just capped off a third consecutive year of title victories for his driver Max Verstappen and two Constructors’ titles in a row for Red Bull Racing, marks his 50th birthday on Thursday ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

With wife Geri Horner accompanying her husband for the weekend in Las Vegas, the Red Bull team principal couldn’t resist making a joke about the extent of the effort F1 have made for his birthday.

Christian Horner eager to see how Las Vegas Grand Prix plays out

Speaking to media ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Horner joked that the sport had pulled out all the stops in order to make sure his birthday party would be as memorable for him as possible – by hosting a night race on the Strip.

“I think it’s incredibly kind of Formula 1 to put a race on in Las Vegas for my 50th birthday,” he laughed.

“So yes, it’s going to be quite a spectacle!

“I think the expectation is so high. It’s gonna be a fascinating event, more of a Super Bowl feel than perhaps a Grand Prix. But let’s see.”

As for whether the expectation levels might be so high that it may lead to something of a damp squib, Horner said the backdrop should help make up for it if the race itself disappoints.

“The problem is, with all these things, it’s always tricky,” he said.

“It’s just another race. It’s one of 22 on the calendar, but there’ll be a few more A-listers and a bit more of an interesting backdrop to it than perhaps some of the other races.

“But, you know, racing down the Strip on a Saturday night? It’s going to be pretty impressive.”

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Red Bull drivers share thoughts ahead of Las Vegas GP

Horner’s two drivers, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, also shared their views ahead of the weekend kicking off.

“I’m finding it a bit crazy to stay awake so long at night,” Perez told media on Thursday, referring to the strange timezone-related decision to have track running around midnight.

“It’s quite a challenge, actually, to stay awake for so long.

“I think it’s a place that we have no idea how it’s going to be. It’s so different to the rest of the year, because first of all the temperatures, then it’s all about keeping the tyres in the window, keeping them warm and I think that’s going to be the challenge.

“So it’s going to be very different to anything else that we’ve done this year. So I don’t think we know how strong we’re going to be so it will be an interesting one.”

Verstappen has made it clear he’s not interested in anything to do with the pomp and circumstance of the weekend, and will only be focusing on the performance side.

“For me, you can skip this,” he said, referring to the official F1 launch party in which the drivers and teams were introduced while standing on tall platforms.

“We are just standing up there, looking like a clown. I mean, yeah…

“I just always voice my opinion on positive things and negative things. That’s just how I am.

“Some people like the show a bit more, I don’t like it at all. I grew up just looking at the performance side of things and that’s how I see it as well. So for me, I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing.

“We are not a stakeholder, so we just go with it. They decide what they do, right?

“I would do the same if I was the owner, I wouldn’t listen to the drivers. It’s my sport, I would do with it what I want if that would be the case.”

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