Christian Horner has met Stefano Domenicali to discuss a return route the F1 CEO is ‘cautious’ about

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Christian Horner has not been in the F1 paddock since the 2025 British Grand Prix this July as he was sacked by Red Bull days after, but he continues to look for a route back.

Oliver Mintzlaff, the managing director of parent company Red Bull GmbH, fired Horner only two days after the British GP. The 52-year-old was relieved of his roles as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing after two decades in charge before fully parting ways in September.

Red Bull paid Horner in excess of £80m to leave the Milton Keynes crew as his contract was set to run through 2030, although the value of his pay-off is also said to have been closer to £52m. Horner waived part of his pay-off to leave Red Bull as it reduced his gardening leave.

Horner can return to the F1 paddock as soon as April 2026, and the Briton continues to look for his next home in the pinnacle of motorsport. It is believed that Horner has met investors in the USA and Middle East to raise funds in his quest to become an F1 team owner, as well.

Christian Horner has met F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to discuss creating a new team

But Horner is not only exploring possibly investing in or buying one of the existing 11 teams to return to the F1 paddock once his gardening leave from Red Bull has concluded. A report by FunoAnalisiTecnica suggests that Horner is still actively exploring creating a new F1 team.

READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? All you need to know from Red Bull to net worth

Horner is also understood to have met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to discuss creating a 12th team, with the field already about to grow to 11 teams in 2026 thanks to the arrival of Cadillac. The 2026 F1 season will feature a grid of 22 drivers for the first time in one decade.

As well as Domenicali, it is said that Horner has met FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for an informal dinner, which was even attended by McLaren CEO Zak Brown, as he explores routes back to the F1 paddock. Ben Sulayem is not opposed to the FIA allowing a 12th team.

FunoAnalisiTecnica quotes Ben Sulayem noting on the subject of a 12th F1 team: “When we opened the Expression of Interest phase in 2023, what was the outcome based on?

“Due process, a framework of expertise and, regardless of the company involved, as long as it complied with the FIA ​​regulations and implementation.

“We have an 11th team. I think we should evaluate their performance and then, if there is an offer, they [FOM] will accept, because it’s about supporting the business.”

What has F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said about the potential for a 12th team?

While FIA president Ben Sulayem thinks Formula One Management (FOM) would support a 12th team if Cadillac prove to be successful, F1 CEO Domenicali recently stated that there is “no more room” in the paddock. F1 has not had a field of 12 teams since the 2012 season.

READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers

Cadillac’s arrival in 2026 is set to reduce the space in the paddock that the existing 10 teams and F1 itself currently enjoy. So, Domenicali is reluctant to squeeze a 12th team in unless an interesting proposal hits his desk among the influx of enquiries that would grow F1’s appeal.

“We have to be cautious,” Domenicali noted, via quotes by Autosport this September. “We’ll only evaluate a bid of great significance because I think we’re already at a point with no more room. Logistically, we’re at the limit.

“I see great interest from funds and investors looking to buy current franchises – let’s call them that – because a team’s value is growing exponentially, and therefore financial interest in investing in F1 is also increasing.

“We see it first-hand because we receive many enquiries, and the same happens to the teams. But precisely because things are going well, we must be prudent and protect the value of what we’ve built.”

So, if Horner is to create his own F1 team, he must convince Domenicali that his entry would add value. F1 rejected Andretti’s bid to enter the sport as the American brand “would not on its own add value”, before General Motors took the bid over to run Cadillac as a works team.