Jeremy Clarkson reveals he texted Christian Horner after Red Bull exit

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he sent a message of support to Christian Horner after the Red Bull Formula 1 boss was ousted from his position earlier this week, having experienced a similar career setback himself.

Horner was relieved of his duties as Red Bull's team principal and CEO on Wednesday, bringing an end to a stint that dates back to the very inception of the outfit in 2005.

Clarkson famously faced his own professional crisis a decade ago, when his long-standing stint as lead presenter of BBC’s Top Gear came to an abrupt end after he punched a producer during filming. His contract with the broadcaster was not renewed as a result.

He later went on to launch The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime alongside co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May, which went on to earn record viewership and critical acclaim.

Writing in his column for The Sun, Clarkson revealed he had reached out to Horner after news of his dismissal broke, encouraging him not to view it as the end of the road.

“I sent him a text after the news of his dismissal broke, pointing out that I've been in his shoes in the past,” he wrote

“I explained that when you wake the following morning, it's easy to think, 'Well, that's that, then'. But in my case, that wasn't that. I hadn't trodden on a snake. I'd trodden on a ladder. And I bet he does, too."

Clarkson had spent time with Horner just days before the shock announcement, having attended last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

“I spent a bit of time with Christian at the [British] Grand Prix on Sunday. And it was plain he had no inkling at all that the bullet was coming,” he admitted.

“He was with his 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, whose mother had just died of eye cancer. And we mostly talked about that and how the poor little mite was coping."

Horner is currently understood to be on gardening leave until the end of the year, although speculation is already mounting about his future in F1.

Clarkson weighed in on the paddock rumours linking Horner to a potential role at Alpine, while casting doubt on how realistic such a move would be. 

“The clever money is saying he'll go to Alpine, but next year they will have Mercedes engines, which means Christian would have to work with Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff. As those two really don't get on, I can't see that happening."