Christian Horner, the British motorsport executive who steered Red Bull Racing through two decades of Formula 1 dominance, has been engaged by Oakley Capital as an advisor on the firm’s investments in premium sports.
The move marks his first substantive role since departing the Milton Keynes constructor earlier this year.
The London-headquartered private equity house, founded by serial entrepreneur Peter Dubens, said Horner will work alongside its dealmakers to identify and unlock opportunities in what has become one of the most contested corners of European private markets. Sports assets, long viewed as trophy holdings, are increasingly being repositioned by sophisticated investors as resilient, cash-generative businesses with global growth profiles, as institutional capital floods into the sector.
For Horner, 52, the appointment caps a remarkable commercial chapter. Between 2005 and 2025 he led Red Bull’s Formula 1 operation to eight Drivers’ Championships, six Constructors’ titles and 124 race victories, while overseeing the launch of Red Bull Powertrains and Red Bull Advanced Technologies. Under his leadership, the team generated more than $3 billion in commercial revenue through global partnerships and sponsorships, a track record that few in motorsport, or indeed wider sports business, can rival.
Peter Dubens, Founder and Managing Partner of Oakley Capital, said: “Christian Horner is widely recognised as a highly successful leader in global sport. His track record, expertise and commercial instinct will be invaluable as we continue to scale our sports portfolio. We are increasingly drawn to businesses in this space that share the hallmarks of a typical Oakley investment: founder-led, high-growth and supported by resilient revenues, or under-commercialised ‘scarce’ assets with significant untapped potential. We look forward to working with Christian in order to unlock these opportunities.”
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
