Christian Horner’s next step in Formula 1 is obvious after Cadillac ‘officially shut down’ rumours

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Christian Horner won’t be taking over at Cadillac, the team confirmed on Tuesday. They emphatically rebutted the rumours as they announced the signings of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

Cadillac were described as a viable option for Horner, who was sacked by Red Bull in July after 20 years in charge. The Americans will be newcomers next year, but should have the resources to compete with the established elite long-term.

However, Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss has now ‘officially shut down’ the Horner talk, via The Race. He says ‘no talks’ have taken place and there are ‘no plans’ to hold them, with the recently-appointed team principal Graeme Lowdon backed ‘100%’.

Thus, another option has disappeared from the list. Horner’s intense rivalry with McLaren, coupled with the team’s present success, precludes any move, and it’s a similar story at Mercedes, where Toto Wolff is deeply embedded.

Ferrari have just given Fred Vasseur a new contract, and the door to Racing Bulls is naturally closed. Haas won’t appeal to Horner unless Toyota buy them, Williams are building around James Vowles and Audi have only recently installed Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley ahead of their 2026 debut.

Christian Horner surely set for Alpine as Cadillac rule out move

Another of Horner’s former colleagues, Adrian Newey, has started work at Aston Martin this year. They were a formidable tandem at Red Bull at the start of 2010s and 2020s.

However, Newey’s relationship with Horner became strained, so it’s hard to envisage a reunion. All of this leaves Alpine as the obvious destination if indeed the latter is to return to F1.

Horner is ‘likely to require full control’ and may seek a stake in the team too. It’s feasible that he could have both at Enstone.

Indeed, reports have already claimed that Horner could buy part of Alpine for £298m. He will need some investors behind him, but he became a deal-making specialist at Red Bull.

Alpine don’t have a team principal – Flavio Briatore makes big-picture decisions as an executive advisor, while Steve Nielsen has just become the managing director.

Renault’s F1 team have arguably been the sport’s biggest underachievers over the past decade or so, with only one Grand Prix win in that time. They’re currently last in the championship, which means they must at least consider hiring a figure with Horner’s record.

Why Christian Horner may have to make an apology before joining Alpine

This isn’t to say that Horner joining Alpine would be entirely uncomplicated. There are a couple of issues that would need to be addressed in talks.

In a recent interview, Pierre Gasly indicated that Briatore has no plans to retire even as the oldest team ‘boss’ in the paddock.

• READ MORE: Nico Rosberg says it would be a ‘great story’ if Christian Horner returned to F1 with six-podium team

Horner and Briatore are close, but the Italian may have to relinquish a significant degree of control. Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher believes they could co-exist with Briatore as the ‘organiser’ and ‘networker’.

Horner may also have to apologise to Renault bosses for his scathing criticism of their engines in the past. Their failures used to cost Red Bull, and while they’ve now axed their in-house power unit operation, it’s unlikely that his comments will be forgotten.