Christian Horner joining £1.2bn-valued F1 team ‘hard to imagine’ due to Toto Wolff rivalry

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Christian Horner faces a conundrum as he tries to work out how to return to Formula 1.

Red Bull Racing parted ways with Christian Horner after the British Grand Prix, but that’s very unlikely to be the end of his association with Formula 1.

Horner sacrificed millions to speed up an F1 return, reducing his payout package from Red Bull to shorten his gardening leave.

It’s a move that suggests that Horner has an idea of where he wants to end up next.

Out of the 11 outfits that will be on the grid next year, a few already feel out of the question.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls can be immediately ruled out, and Toto Wolff is unlikely to want to work with Horner at Mercedes.

Horner won’t get the control he desires at Ferrari, while newcomers Cadillac have dismissed working with Horner ahead of their F1 debut next year.

The intertwined politics of Formula 1 mean that the 51-year-old’s return could be further complicated by the relationships that teams already have.

Journalist Andrew Benson believes this could stop Horner from joining one of his likeliest destinations.

READ MORE: All to know about sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Christian Horner joining Alpine ‘hard to imagine’ due to Toto Wolff rivalry amid power unit deal

Benson was writing about Horner’s future in a column for BBC Sport.

He discussed the various teams that have been linked with Horner, including the £1.2bn-valued Alpine team.

Alpine are in a mess, and currently sit bottom of the constructors’ championship.

Pierre Gasly is signed up until the end of the 2028 season, although the identity of his teammate going into next season is still unknown.

The report from Benson suggests that a position within the Alpine organisation for Horner isn’t immediately obvious.

Steve Nielsen has just arrived as team principal, and Flavio Briatore still exists in his role as advisor to parent company, Renault.

On top of that, Alpine will be using Mercedes power units from next season after shuttering their Renault engine production.

Benson believes that it’s ‘hard to imagine Wolff agreeing to supply his power unit’ to a rival F1 team being run by Horner.

The pair have famously not seen eye to eye for some time, with tempers particularly fraying during the turbulent 2021 season.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Toto Wolff suggests Red Bull are climbing ‘Mount Everest’ after Christian Horner decision

Whether Mercedes would cancel an engine deal with Alpine if they did begin working with Horner is hard to imagine.

However, the last thing a struggling Alpine team need is a strained relationship with the company providing the most important component of their car.

Wolff believes Red Bull are climbing ‘Mount Everest’ after Horner decided to work with Ford as their power unit supplier.

A deal between Red Bull and Honda ended, and instead of becoming a customer team, Horner started Red Bull Powertrains.

The success of their in-house engine department will likely determine the future of Max Verstappen, which is out of Horner’s hands now, but shows just how many years Red Bull could be feeling the consequences, both positive and negative, from his decisions.