Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Aston Martin have made a renewed approach to appoint Christian Horner, in a bid to turn their bleak fortunes around following a disastrous start to F1’s 2026 regulations.
The Silverstone squad had bet their future on the new regulations paving a path for them to join the front-runners. Some in the paddock even suspected that Aston Martin could leap to the very top in 2026 and hand Fernando Alonso a car with which he could fight for the title.
Yet even with billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll investing a fortune, Aston Martin striking an exclusive engine partnership with Honda and signing design guru Adrian Newey, the AMR26 has been an abject failure so far – in no small part helped by Newey’s restrictions on Honda.
Honda admit they did not expect their engine vibration problems, as it only arose once their power unit was fitted in the AMR26. Aston Martin are still waiting for Honda’s first upgraded engine, too, but will soon look to introduce updates they hope will make the AMR26 lighter.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem expects to see Christian Horner return to F1. Which team would be his best landing spot?
Aston Martin make a renewed approach to appoint former Red Bull boss Christian Horner
It seems like Stroll is also wanting upgrades at the Aston Martin factory in Silverstone, as the Daily Mail reports that the Canadian has once again approached Horner to discuss taking up a role. Stroll has long coveted the idea of hiring Horner, but has so far failed to convince him.
READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? Everything to know from Red Bull past to net worth
Stroll is believed to have come ‘agonisingly close’ to finally signing Horner a few months ago. However, his hopes fell short at the ‘11th hour’ and any deal to appoint the 52-year-old was ‘aborted’. But Stroll has now sent Horner another ‘SOS’ call, given that he remains available.
Horner has not stepped foot in the F1 paddock since the 2025 British Grand Prix last July, as he was fired by Red Bull days after the race at Silverstone. Red Bull also paid Horner around £80m to terminate his contract through 2030 and serve gardening leave through May 2026.
Now that the Briton’s gardening leave has expired and he can join any team of his choosing, Stroll hopes to finally convince Horner to lead Aston Martin’s resurgence. It is unclear what role Stroll is offering Horner, who is widely known to want shares in the next team he joins.
Horner had the position of team principal for 20 years at Red Bull, and he also spent a lot of his time in Milton Keynes as the CEO of the energy drink brand’s F1 team. Yet Red Bull never gave Horner his wish for shares, so he is determined to be a part-owner in his next F1 team.
Are Aston Martin below ‘F1 standards’ right now, or is Guenther Steiner being unfair?
Stroll made Newey a 5% shareholder in Aston Martin when he lured the design guru to the team on the back of his departure from Red Bull. Newey initially joined Aston Martin as the team’s managing technical partner, before also taking over the team principal role this year.
Newey already wants to relinquish his team principal role, which may offer Horner a way in at Aston Martin. But Stroll will no doubt also have to dig deep into his pockets, and a report in February suggested that Aston Martin offered Horner shares alongside a leadership role.
Whether Horner is now prepared to accept Stroll’s latest offer and make his return to the F1 paddock with Aston Martin is unknown, though. What is not up for debate is that his future will be in the headlines until he returns, and the suggestion that Horner could make his first F1 paddock appearance since leaving Red Bull at Silverstone this weekend will only fuel that.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
