Christian Horner’s ‘most likely’ destination is Aston Martin after Toto Wolff’s unlikely Alpine bid

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Christian Horner could be seen back in the paddock wearing Aston Martin’s racing green polo shirts should he decide to make a Formula 1 comeback this month.

Aston Martin need all the help they can get after an unexpectedly poor start to 2026.

Lance Stroll finished the Australian Grand Prix 15 laps behind eventual race winner George Russell, while Fernando Alonso rose to P10 on the opening lap before retiring, which was the highlight for the Silverstone-based team.

Who is the best person to run Alpine in Formula 1: Christian Horner, Toto Wolff or Flavio Briatore?

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Adrian Newey tried to address concerns with the Honda power unit in Melbourne in his role as team principal, but whether he improved the two companies’ relationship with his responses is yet to be seen.

Christian Horner has been linked with returning to F1 ever since losing his job at Red Bull, and many believed that Alpine might have been his most likely destination.

However, a bid from Toto Wolff to buy a minority stake in Alpine has just put a cat amongst the pigeons, and while there’s no suggestion yet that the Mercedes boss’s offer will be accepted, it means Horner might have to shift his focus elsewhere on the grid.

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

Christian Horner’s ‘most likely’ next move in Formula 1 is to Aston Martin

A report from The Telegraph has shared more details about what’s going on behind the scenes in the Formula 1 paddock.

Wolff sold a small part of his Mercedes stake last November; however, it was reported at the time that he had no interest in leaving the team immediately.

He has previously been an investor in Williams, and now that Alpine are beginning to use Mercedes power units, he has sensed an opportunity to purchase a stake in the Enstone-based team.

Horner’s relationship with Flavio Briatore was one of the reasons why it felt like a good match, as well as the location of the team not being too far away from where he currently lives.

On top of this, Horner had secured plenty of funding to buy a minority share in Alpine; however, Wolff’s interest means a bidding war could break out that wouldn’t be in either person’s interest.

The report suggests that out of the other teams that Horner has been linked to, including Ferrari and Haas, Aston Martin ‘feels most likely’ due to their awful start to 2026.

Executive chairman Lawrence Stroll has already given Newey an ownership stake in his team, but might need more leadership in the form of Horner to get his faltering project back on track.

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

Why Christian Horner joining Aston Martin could be just what the team needs this season

The report from the Telegraph goes on to say that ‘many’ people in F1 are wondering whether Stroll will ‘feel the need’ to hire a chief executive to help Newey ‘focus on performance’ after such a poor start to 2026.

It’s the first time in Newey’s illustrious Formula 1 career that he’s been asked to take on a team principal role, and after already arriving late into the development cycle of Aston Martin’s 2026 car, it’s put him under even more pressure.

Aston Martin also moved former team boss Andy Cowell aside to work with Honda on their ailing power unit, which is causing the team huge issues, but is not the sole cause of their woes.

Horner would immediately take some of the pressure off Newey, and during their time at Red Bull together, knows exactly how to extract the best out of him in situations like this.

It’s believed that Horner and Newey could work together despite the design genius deciding to leave Red Bull in 2024, but whether they’re brought together again is another matter.