Horner calls for virtual pitwall access so F1 fans can hear live strategy calls

Christian Horner has called on Formula 1 to open up team pitwalls to fans virtually, allowing them to follow live strategy discussions in real time — a perspective he says he only gained after leaving Red Bull Racing in July 2025.

Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange in New York on Wednesday, the former Red Bull CEO and team principal described the shock of watching grands prix as a regular spectator for the first time in his career. After more than two decades operating from inside the pitwall bubble, he said the contrast with the standard broadcast experience was stark.

“Going from that sort of cocoon on the pitwall with all that information and knowledge and strategies and competitor analysis and so on, suddenly you’ve just got the screen with the commentators explaining what’s going on and different graphics,” Horner said. “It felt like there’s so much more that they could lift the lid on.”

Horner acknowledged that teams have historically resisted greater transparency, citing the risk of surrendering intellectual property and competitive advantage. But he argued that shifting viewer habits and an appetite for deeper data make the case for change compelling.

“Looking at how viewers consume now and their hunger and eagerness for data and information — going from the experience that I had from sitting on the pitwall to suddenly being a viewer, it’s amazing just how much more is available in terms of competitor analysis and strategy and how races are shaping up,” he said.

When pressed on how the idea could work in practice, Horner pointed to interactivity as the key. “Maybe make it interactive. Why not sit on the pitwall, virtually, of your favourite team, understand how they’re getting to the decisions that they are, the discussions that they’re having,” he said, before conceding: “As a team, I would have argued against that because you don’t want to be giving that information away.”

Horner was joined on the panel by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former Formula 1 chairman and CEO Chase Carey, General Motors’ Mark Reuss, Penske’s Jonathan Gibson, and NASCAR’s Tim Clark. The event marked Horner’s first public appearance in the United States since his departure from Oracle Red Bull Racing.