‘Jealous’ Christian Horner always wanted something Toto Wolff had at Mercedes that he could never earn at Red Bull

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Christian Horner was the longest-serving team principal on the grid before his Red Bull exit last week.

Red Bull made their Formula 1 debut at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix with Christian Horner on the pit wall, and he’s been a mainstay in the paddock ever since.

The upcoming Belgian Grand Prix will be the first time Red Bull have competed in Formula 1 without Horner, 406 races after their debut.

Laurent Mekies will take on Horner’s role at Red Bull, but it means someone new has taken on the mantle of the longest-serving team principal in F1.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff now holds that record, having taken over as team principal in 2013.

Previously a stakeholder in Williams, Wolff has now overseen Mercedes winning eight constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles.

Horner and Wolff have clashed throughout their time in Formula 1, with every drivers’ championship shared between their two teams every year since Jenson Button’s victory in 2009.

However, commentator and journalist James Allen believes Wolff has something at Mercedes that Horner has always been ‘jealous’ of.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

James Allen thinks Christian Horner is ‘jealous’ of Toto Wolff’s ownership stake in Mercedes

Allen was discussing Horner’s potential next steps on The Red Flags Podcast and explained: “I know that Ferrari were trying to get him. Originally, they were trying to get him and Newey, and then that didn’t work.

“But more recently, they’ve been sort of sounding him out about maybe going there.

“But John Elkann, the boss man at Ferrari, came out the other day after Horner was sacked, saying he’s not coming here, even though Fred Vasseur may well not last beyond the end of this season as a team boss, it won’t be Horner that replaces him in 2026.

“My hunch, if he comes back to Formula 1, it would be in a team where he would be a shareholder, because he looks at Toto and he’s jealous of the fact that he’s a shareholder.

“He’s jealous of the fact that Adrian Newey got a shareholding for going to Aston Martin.

“So, it would need to be maybe buying Alpine with some Qatari investors or something and being a shareholder of that and building that into a team, or maybe one of the others.

“But I don’t think he would do a job again now where he was just an employee. I think he would need to have some skin in the game.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

Could Alpine be the solution to Christian Horner’s Formula 1 ownership dreams?

There are currently 10 teams on the Formula 1 grid, although that will increase to 11 next season when Cadillac make their debut.

The American group had to fight extremely hard for their entry, while Audi have paid a substantial fee for a controlling stake in Sauber, which takes effect next season.

It means Horner will need substantial backing to become an F1 team owner, but there are options he could potentially explore.

Alpine could sell 20% of their team if the right offer arrives, and Horner and Flavio Briatore already have a very good relationship.

There has been talk in the paddock that Horner and Bernie Ecclestone could team up to take over part of Alpine, which would see an unlikely return to team ownership for the 95-year-old.

Red Bull are about to head in a new direction without Horner’s guidance, but it might not be long until they’re coming up against their former team principal.