Christian Horner racing return could be edging closer as F1 shareholders ‘ready to sell’ £700m stake

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The 2026 Formula 1 season could see Christian Horner return to the paddock, and shareholders from one team are prepared to walk away to make way for the former Red Bull boss.

Christian Horner has one of the finest records of any team principal in the history of Formula 1.

He won six constructors’ championships with Red Bull, while overseeing four drivers’ championships each for Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

An underwhelming start to 2025 saw Horner relieved of his duties by Red Bull, with several key figures within the team leaving over the last 18 months.

Could Christian Horner really work with Renault?

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Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall, and Will Courtenay are among those who have left Red Bull, and Gianpiero Lambiase’s future is also in doubt after a decade working as Verstappen’s race engineer.

Horner is now preparing to make a comeback to Formula 1, and could be offered a route back into the paddock by Alpine.

It’s believed Horner isn’t interested in simply becoming Alpine’s team principal, but the stance of some of the Anglo-French team’s stakeholders could speed up a potential deal being agreed.

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

Alpine stakeholders ‘ready to sell’ £700m share as Christian Horner prepares for negotiations

A report from the German outlet Bild has shared more details about a potential partnership between Horner and Alpine.

It’s been suggested that it’s still too soon to say that a deal has been agreed, but one of the parties that partially owns Alpine is ‘ready to sell’ their stake.

Alpine is co-owned by Renault and Otro Capital, a group of investors who possess 24% of the team’s shares.

Otro Capital, whose investors include the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rory McIlroy, bought their stake for £175m in 2023, but it’s now believed that the same share of the company is worth £700m.

Bild reports that negotiations between Horner and Otro Capital will restart at the beginning of 2026, and the former Red Bull boss has ‘gathered investors behind him’ to help fund the move.

He will therefore become a part-owner of Alpine, and it would be a surprise if this didn’t lead to him also taking on the role of team principal once again.

It’s believed that although Horner sacrificed some of his Red Bull severance package in order to be allowed to return to F1 sooner, he would still have to wait until at least April to return to the paddock.

By that point, Alpine’s 2026 car would have already taken part in several races, and the team will know where they sit in the pecking order.

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

Alpine in need of Christian Horner help but it might arrive too late for 2026

After finishing last in the constructors’ championship last year, Alpine are hoping that the upcoming regulation changes will coincide with a change in their fortunes.

Pierre Gasly has worked with Horner in the past, but didn’t even last a full season during his time at Red Bull.

Red Bull were briefly interested in signing his teammate Franco Colapinto after an encouraging debut with Williams in 2024.

However, the Argentinian driver failed to score a point last year after replacing Jack Doohan, and Horner has shown throughout his time in F1 that he won’t settle for an underperforming driver.

Horner wants full control at Alpine, which might not be in the interests of the team’s current advisor, Flavio Briatore.