Christian Horner’s ‘mindset’ on returning to F1 has now changed after Red Bull sacking

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Red Bull have moved on from the Christian Horner era and appear to be doing just fine heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Although they missed out on a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship by just two points this year, they staged an excellent recovery after sacking Horner in the summer.

Results improved dramatically under Laurent Mekies’ leadership, and rumours about Max Verstappen’s future died down dramatically. Red Bull secured him for another year at least.

However, heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, their old boss is looking for a way back into the paddock, with a catch. He wants an ownership stake this time, which may limit his options.

Could Christian Horner really work with Renault?

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One of them may be an ex-rival. Horner could take full control of Alpine, who might be willing to part ways with a portion of the team.

Ralf Schumacher thinks Horner is trying to invest in Alpine, and their base is in Enstone, just over an hour from his old roots at Red Bull in Milton Keynes.

READ MORE: What Christian Horner said when asked about rumoured talks with Alpine F1 team

Christian Horner has a new ‘mindset’ after being sacked by Red Bull in 2025

Helmut Marko thinks Horner played ‘dirty tricks’ at Red Bull to try and destabilise his position within the team.

The two haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, and Marko once went over Horner’s head to demote Pierre Gasly mid-season, without first contacting the then team principal.

Marko was paid £8.7m to leave Red Bull, while Horner was paid nearly ten times that amount. That may be why he can now suddenly afford to buy a stake in a team.

According to The Race, Horner’s ‘mindset’ has changed since leaving Red Bull. In the immediate aftermath, he was very eager for a return to Formula 1 as soon as possible.

Christian Horner has done more for Red Bull in Formula 1 than Helmut Marko – prove us wrong

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Now he’s a bit more relaxed about his situation and is willing to wait for the right opportunity to come along before committing to anything.

It still feels as though Alpine may be his best option, but that would mean he’d be working with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who will be providing the team with engines from 2026. That would create a weird dynamic.

READ MORE: McLaren boss Zak Brown predicts whether he thinks Christian Horner will ever return to Formula 1

When is Christian Horner allowed to start working in Formula 1 again?

When Horner was paid a large sum of money to leave Red Bull, it was also agreed that he would effectively have to go through a gardening leave period.

It is believed that from April, he will be allowed to officially start working again. Who it will be with is up for discussion.

The obvious names that can be eliminated include McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Depending on how Ferrari perform, they could be looking for a new leader.

But would Horner be able to get a stake in the team? It seems unlikely, considering how the team is run. It also depends on how eager they are to be successful again.