Juan Pablo Montoya tells £1.6bn-valued F1 team they have ‘everything’ except a leader like Christian Horner

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Christian Horner is likely to be in the minds of several F1 team owners after Red Bull let him go. Horner has one of the greatest track records of any team principal.

A move to a direct rival is highly unlikely. Even putting the historical tension aside, the dominant McLaren team will be thrilled with their Zak Brown/Andrea Stella tandem.

Toto Wolff, who owns a third of the Mercedes F1 team, isn’t under threat, and Ferrari just ended any doubt over Fred Vasseur’s future by handing him a new contract. Horner had previously been a target for John Elkann, the Scuderia’s chairman.

The 51-year-old will likely have to take on a midfield project. Horner has been linked with Alpine, with talk that he could buy shares in the team.

Another rumour suggests Horner could take over the Haas team if technical partners Toyota buy the operation. And Cadillac have apparently held initial talks with Horner before even making their debut.

Juan Pablo Montoya urges Aston Martin to sign Christian Horner

Speaking to AS Colombia, Juan Pablo Montoya put forward another possible destination – Aston Martin. That would mean a reunion with Adrian Newey, the legendary designer who was previously his right-hand man at Red Bull.

Newey was unhappy with Horner downplaying his influence, but Montoya, who worked with the former at McLaren in 2005, insists that they still have a ‘very good relationship’.

Lawrence Stroll only named Andy Cowell as his team principal in January. Cowell was previously in charge of Mercedes’ F1 engine programme.

Aston will be the only team using Honda engines next year, with Stroll investing nearly £800m into making them contenders. Montoya believes that a leader like Horner is the missing piece.

“I prefer Horner to be in a team like Aston,” he said. “On the one hand, he has been with Newey for many years, and he has a very good relationship with Adrian, so he would be a very good fit.

“Aston don’t have a strong leader – they have the engine, they have the designer, they have everything, but they’re missing a more, let’s say, illustrious mind. I’m not saying the person who’s in charge is a bad person, but sometimes you need more leadership skills.”

Newey was awarded shares in the team when he joined as managing technical partner. Aston Martin have been valued at £1.6bn, and that figure should continue to rise.

Ralf Schumacher says the days of F1 team boss are numbered amid Christian Horner links

Montoya also discussed the prospect of Horner joining Alpine. He thinks he could work in tandem with Flavio Briatore, who effectively runs the team but holds the title of executive advisor.

“He wouldn’t be a person who’d replace Briatore,” said Montoya. “He’d let Briatore handle everything and help from behind. He’s a person who could handle Alpine very well.”

Ralf Schumacher disagrees, though. He thinks the time for figures like Briatore is ‘over’ and Alpine need a ‘technically skilled’ manager like Horner.

Horner wants assurances of sufficient control before he joins any new team. This was one of the issues that led to his Red Bull exit.