Christian Horner "regrets" not attempting to sign Oscar Piastri as a youngster, before he became one of Formula 1's most in-demand young talents.
Piastri will make his F1 debut next season, after being signed by McLaren. That move was only confirmed after a lengthy legal battle, at the end of which it was ruled his former team Alpine did not have the require paperwork to prevent him from being poached by their midfield rivals.
The young Australian impressed the motorsport world by winning three world championships in as many seasons as he made his way up the ladder. The climax of that saw him win the F2 title and, although it did not translate into an F1 seat straight away, it was considered to be near-certain that he would get his shot in the premier category.
Red Bull might have been the ones benefitting from Piastri's talent, as Horner revealed. "He drove for the Arden team in Formula 4 and Formula Renault, and was obviously a significant talent," the team principal told F1's Beyond the Grid podcast.
"There was an opportunity for Red Bull to look at him at the time, and we didn’t take up that option, which is something that I regret. But what he went on to achieve is phenomenal, in Formula 3 and Formula 2."
Like the rest of us, Horner watched on with interest as the contract dispute between Alpine and McLaren played out in public. He said it would be "difficult" for him to comment on the saga, but fired an indirect barb at Alpine as he made it clear Red Bull would never have allowed it to be possible for such a talented youngster to be poached.
"Now if he'd have been a driver here, there is no way that he wouldn't have been under lock and key for a period in time," Horner said. "As I say, I wasn't party, it’s difficult to judge what was promised or reneged on or so on – but certainly, it was unexpected, probably from several areas."
And speaking about Red Bull's current youth prospects, he added: "We're continuing to invest in youth, we've got some great youngsters in the programme, all the way from karting and stepping into Formula 4 now, upwards. I think it's something Red Bull has done so well, giving these kids a chance, investing in young talent, and giving opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had.
"Isack Hadjar in Formula 3 this year has had a great debut season. I think [Ayumu] Iwasa in Formula 2 has been a standout driver for me. They're just two of the guys on the programme. Liam Lawson has had a tough year, but he's again another talent. Dennis Hauger has been a bit underwhelming in Formula 2 after such a dominant year in Formula 3. But again, how much of that is him and how much of it is equipment?"
