Christian Horner could now take over one-pole F1 team if talks with £222bn manufacturer are successful

Follow us on Google Discover

Christian Horner is intent on returning to Formula 1, but not necessarily as a team principal. Horner was sacked by Red Bull earlier this month after 20 years in charge.

Red Bull are still negotiating Horner’s severance package, with the Englishman reportedly in line for nine figures. He had five years left on his contract.

The timelines for any comeback are murky, then, but his preferences are starting to emerge. As reported by the BBC’s Andrew Benson among others, he’d like to be a shareholder.

“I’m hearing that Horner does want to come back,” Benson said on the Chequered Flag podcast. “But he doesn’t want to come back in the same sort of role. He would rather have some kind of shareholding involved.

“That’s going to require, first of all, buying the shares that would give him some level of influence. At the current market level in F1, that would be incredibly expensive.

“And if he’s not going to put his own hand in his pocket for that, which is incredibly unlikely, then he’s going to need someone to buy them effectively for him.”

Christian Horner linked with Haas amid Toyota takeover talks

Adam Hay-Nicholls, an F1 correspondent for the Metro, says there are three teams who may offer Horner the equity he desires. The first is Alpine – he may be invited to join a consortium who are ‘rumoured’ to be preparing a takeover bid.

Horner could link up with Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 boss, in a potential purchase of the Enstone outfit. Hay-Nicholls says Ecclestone, 94, is very much ‘pulling the strings’ to make the deal happen, and this remains the ‘most likely’ route back.

Horner has also been linked with Cadillac, who are set to become the sport’s 11th team in 2026. However, incumbent team principal Graeme Lowdon may have to be pushed out for that avenue to be realistic, and he hasn’t yet had a chance to prove himself.

The third option, and perhaps the most surprising, is a Haas takeover – albeit not in the team’s current form. Hay-Nicholls recently wrote on his Substack page that Toyota are in talks to buy the American team.

If the £222bn brand are successful, then they could sell a stake to Horner. Ironically, the 51-year-old was involved in F1 the last time Toyota fielded a works team between 2002 and 2009.

Red Bull’s biggest fear if Christian Horner joins a new F1 team

Since joining the grid in 2016, Haas are the only team who haven’t scored a podium. They do have a pole position to their name, though, and have amassed over 800 points.

Toyota may not have a won Grand Prix during their last stint in F1, but their financial might is undeniable. They have already formed a technical partnership with Haas, though Ayao Komatsu’s squad are still using Ferrari engines.

The Japanese manufacturer would have to convince Gene Haas to sell his eponymous team in an extremely lucrative period for F1. It’s unclear how realistic that would be.

Intriguingly, Red Bull fear an exodus if Horner joins another team. He could potentially poach a number of talented employees from Milton Keynes.

Indeed, some Red Bull staff are unhappy with the handling of Horner’s exit and might be of a mind to leave if they can reunite with him elsewhere.