Horner chose Abu Dhabi 2021 to open his memoir

Christian Horner chose the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix—the race that confirmed Max Verstappen’s first Formula 1 title—to open his memoir *Drive*. He said he wanted to “grab the reader” from the first page.

Ahead of *Drive*’s 22 October release, Horner called the 2021 season an epic. Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen arrived at the Abu Dhabi finale level on points, while Red Bull went into the race 28 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ standings. Horner pointed to the pressure and intense rivalry between the drivers and teams, saying the finale would have seemed unbelievable as a film script.

The 2021 Abu Dhabi last-lap finish remains contentious; then-race director Michael Masi later left his post. Horner said Abu Dhabi was a good place to begin before unpacking the rest of a memoir promoted as an account of roughly 20 years in Formula 1.