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Christian Horner would secure a right to veto Alpine’s F1 driver line-up if Otro Capital agrees to sell its 24% stake in the team to him, but faces competition from Mercedes.
Horner is now officially free to return to the F1 paddock, if he can find a new home, after his gardening leave period after being sacked by Red Bull in July last year expired earlier in May. Red Bull sacked Horner after 20 years in charge of the outfit, in a bid to revive their fortunes.
The 52-year-old led Red Bull to their eight F1 drivers’ championship and six constructors’ titles to date. But Red Bull fired the Briton amid growing tension behind the scenes due to a fight for power, along with their worsening results that Laurent Mekies reversed last season.
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Christian Horner could get a ‘veto’ over Alpine’s driver line-up if he buys Otro Capital’s shares
Alpine quickly emerged as a potential landing spot after Red Bull sacked Horner in the days immediately after the 2025 British Grand Prix. Private equity firm Otro Capital is looking to sell its 24% shares in the Enstone natives, which it bought from Renault for £171m in 2023.
READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? Everything to know from Red Bull past to net worth
Horner faces stern competition for Otro’s shares, however, as it is said that Renault bosses favour Mercedes buying shares in Alpine than the former Red Bull team principal and CEO. The Renault Group is said to have control over who Otro sells its shares to until September.
According to The Race, Mercedes have also officially submitted their bid to buy Otro’s stake in Alpine against competition from not only Horner. So, Horner has to convince Renault that he is the ‘right candidate’ to join Alpine, especially with the influence the stake comes with.
Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine is believed to also provide ‘some management influence’, including ‘some veto rights’ over their drivers and leadership structure. Pierre Gasly is under contract to Alpine through at least 2028, while Franco Colapinto is only confirmed for 2026.
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Should Renault sell Otro’s 24% stake in Alpine to Horner, he could even join straight away as the non-compete clause he agreed to with Red Bull lapsed after the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Horner remains determined to hold a financial stake in a team for his return to the paddock.
A lot of F1 fans do not want Mercedes to buy shares in Alpine, as many oppose the idea of a potential second B-team set-up akin to Red Bull and Racing Bulls. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has urged the FIA to ban multi-team ownership, too, amid the reports of Mercedes’ interest.
Renault selling Otro’s shares to Horner could even prevent them falling into a political saga, as FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem also recently came out against one party owning multiple F1 teams. Ben Sulayem claimed that he personally believes it is “not the right way” that anyone owns multiple F1 teams, and cited the “voting power” that it would also yield.
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