Christian Horner ‘keen’ on joining £1.6bn-valued Formula 1 team after his Red Bull exit

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A lot of the talk happening in the paddock at the Singapore Grand Prix has been about Christian Horner.

Christian Horner has agreed a payoff with Red Bull that will allow him to return to the paddock next season.

It appears as though Christian Horner’s ambition is to come back to Formula 1 next year, but in a more senior role than team principal.

One of the issues he faced at Red Bull was the current owners feeling like they didn’t have as much control as they would like within the team.

With Laurent Mekies now at the helm, he has less influence within the team, and Helmut Marko has taken on a more prominent role.

The idea of Horner running a 12th F1 team has been floated, although the amount of pushback Cadillac faced before being accepted onto the grid might make that tricky.

Cadillac have also ruled out working with Horner, but other teams might be more open to a partnership with the 51-year-old.

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

Christian Horner ‘keen’ on joining Aston Martin when he’s allowed to return to Formula 1

A report from ESPN has shared more details about Horner’s potential options heading into next year.

ESPN’s ‘sources’ suggest that the former Red Bull chief is ‘keen’ on a move to the £1.6bn-valued Aston Martin team.

Aston Martin have had another tough season under the leadership of Andy Cowell.

Heading into the Singapore Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso needed to use all of his experience to reach Q3, but could only start 10th.

Lance Stroll extended his Q1 exit record on Saturday, but still sits ahead of the two-time world champion in the drivers’ championship.

Horner wants a part-ownership stake in whichever team he returns to the grid with, something that Adrian Newey has earned at Aston Martin.

However, the report suggests that Lawrence Stroll does not consider Horner’s importance as the same as Newey’s, and an ownership position would not be ‘the case’ were he to come in.

ESPN also point out that Horner’s role at Aston Martin would be ‘unclear’ given the current senior staff already installed within the team.

Cowell was wanted by almost every team on the grid when he left Mercedes’ power unit program, while Mike Krack is highly regarded in his role as chief trackside officer.

There are also suggestions that F1’s cost cap could prevent Horner from joining Aston Martin, although that’s a complication that Stroll would be able to work around if he wants to bring the former Red Bull boss into the fold.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

What Andy Cowell has said about Christian Horner joining Aston Martin

During a media session on Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix, Cowell was asked about a potential role for Horner within Aston Martin and said: “I had a chat with Lawrence this morning to find out what he knows.

“It looks as though Christian’s ringing up pretty much every team owner at the moment.

“I can clearly say there are no plans for involvement of Christian either in an operational or investment role in the future.”

The other issue for the Silverstone-based team is that Aston Martin have an interest in signing Max Verstappen if he decides to leave Red Bull.

Given concerns within Verstappen’s camp about Horner that might have played a role in his exit after the British Grand Prix, that might put Stroll off hiring the 51-year-old.

However, if Aston Martin aren’t challenging for podiums and race wins next season, they might feel like they need Horner’s experience to guide them towards the top of the championship.