Christian Horner is down to his final option as Aston Martin close in on Jonathan Wheatley

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Christian Horner must proceed with efforts to set up his own Formula 1 team with the door to Aston Martin seemingly closing. Jonathan Wheatley, his former Red Bull colleague, is set to take the position at Silverstone.

Horner recently met with Lawrence Stroll, but Newey is opposed to a reunion and has pushed for Wheatley to take on the team principal role instead. Audi confirmed on Friday that Wheatley has left the team with immediate effect, paving the way for him to join Aston Martin once he has completed his gardening leave.

Horner has been continuously linked with Aston Martin ever since he lost his Red Bull job last summer, but Wheatley’s expected appointment could kill the long-running story for good.

Is Jonathan Wheatley the right man to get Aston Martin back on track in 2026?

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Christian Horner should now look to set up his own F1 team

Aston Martin was thought to be Horner’s likeliest destination, based on a report last week. Toto Wolff and Mercedes have emerged as rivals for his stake in Alpine.

Horner and his backers don’t want to get involved in a bidding war for the 24% stake in the team, currently held by Otro Capital. In terms of the existing 11 teams, his options have effectively run out.

Even if he had invested in Alpine, it’s difficult to see how he would have dovetailed with Flavio Briatore, who has been making all of the biggest decisions at Enstone. Likewise, both Newey and Lawrence Stroll could have restricted his power at Aston Martin.

• READ MORE: Williams must explore Christian Horner deal or risk Carlos Sainz exit amid pressure on James Vowles

It has been made clear throughout the process that Horner wants total control at his next team, something he was denied at Red Bull due to the presence of Helmut Marko.

Ultimately, the best way to ensure that is to start his own operation from scratch. It was revealed last autumn that Horner has held preliminary talks over setting up a new team, with one vacancy still remaining under the current Concorde Agreement.

How much would Christian Horner have to pay to join the F1 grid?

Horner has assembled backers in his pursuit of the Alpine shares, and they could help him build a team from the ground up. Clearly, it would be a hugely expensive undertaking.

Buying the grid slots alone would likely cost over £300m because teams want to offset the dilution of the prize pot.

But crucially, Horner could effectively design his own position if he founded the company. It would take years, but there’s no guarantee that a compelling option presents itself in the near future anyway.

One can go through every team on the current grid and identify a clear reason why Horner is not the right fit at this moment in time. And that’s a sign that he should take matters into his own hands.