Private Equity Firm Oakley Hires Former F1 Red Bull Team CEO Horner as High-End Sports Investment Advisor

Private equity firm Oakley Capital recently announced that it will collaborate with former Red Bull F1 team principal and CEO Christian Horner, who will serve as the firm's high-end sports investment advisor.

Oakley Capital was founded in London, UK in 2002, focusing on four major sectors: technology, consumer, education, and business services. Its current sports investment portfolio includes:

• The team representing the UK in the America's Cup, Athena Racing (now renamed GB1);
• Spanish padel racket brand NOX (view related content);
• German D2C golf brand Vice Golf (see image below);
• Italian marine extreme sports company North Sails.

In non-sports fields, Oakley Capital's well-known investments also include the Italian homeware design company Alessi, famous for its "alien juicer."

Horner was born in 1973 in Leamington Spa, central England. His grandfather was a purchasing manager at Standard Motor Company, and his father also worked in the automotive industry, primarily supplying parts to engine manufacturers. Horner was fascinated by speed from a young age, building his own simple single-seat go-kart to slide down the hill behind his house.

In 1991, at age 18, Horner won a Renault Formula scholarship, transitioning from karting to higher-level formula racing. Subsequently, he drove for various Formula 3 and Formula 2 teams, including Manor Motorsport, Fortec, and P1 Motorsport. In the late 1990s, he began to realize he lacked the ability required for top-level racing, so at the end of 1998, he decided to give up his professional racing career and move behind the scenes into team management.

Above: Horner in his younger days

In 2005, at just 31 years old, Horner was invited to become the team principal and CEO of the newly formed Red Bull F1 team, making him the youngest team principal in F1 history. Over the next 20 years, by recruiting Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey and nurturing drivers Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, Horner led the Red Bull team to six Constructors' Championships and eight Drivers' Championships.

Above: Horner (left) and Verstappen (right)

In September 2025, Horner and Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of the Red Bull team, prematurely ended his contract, which was originally set to expire in 2030.

After leaving the team, Horner is actively exploring new opportunities while remaining active in F1. A consortium he leads is participating in the bid to acquire a 24% stake in the Alpine team. During the recent Cannes Film Festival, he also met with Stella Li, Executive Vice President of Chinese automaker BYD, and founder and CEO Wang Chuanfu to discuss the possibility of BYD entering F1. (Related reading: BYD Executives Meet with Former F1 Red Bull Team Principal Horner to Discuss Team Formation)

Above: BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li and Horner

In the press release, Oakley Capital founder and managing partner Peter Dubens said: "Christian Horner is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished leaders in global sports. As we continue to expand our sports investment portfolio, his track record, expertise, and business acumen will be invaluable. We are increasingly drawn to businesses that exhibit classic Oakley investment characteristics: founder-led, high-growth with robust revenue streams, or 'scarce' assets that are not yet fully commercialized, with significant untapped potential. We look forward to working with Christian to identify these opportunities."

Horner said: "As more people embrace healthier, more active lifestyles, the sports industry is benefiting from growing global audiences and participation. I have known and respected Peter and the Oakley team for many years, and I have always admired their philosophy of building ambitious, founder-led businesses. Oakley Capital has an excellent reputation in the sports and consumer sectors, and I look forward to collaborating with them in the future, sharing my experience to help nurture the next generation of outstanding sports enterprises."

| Sources: Official press release, motorsportmagazine, motorsport, F1 official, High Performance podcast, The New York Times

| Image credits: Red Bull official website, F1 official website, Vice Golf official website, Planet F1