Renault bosses will favour Mercedes over Christian Horner if they sell £443m stake in Alpine team

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Christian Horner and arch-rival Toto Wolff are battling to buy Otro Capital’s shares in Alpine, and Renault are favouring the latter’s bid.

Since leaving Red Bull midway through 2025, Horner has been looking for a way back into the F1 paddock. The 52-year-old has been linked with almost every team on the grid, including Haas, Aston Martin and Audi.

He was recently seen in the MotoGP paddock at Jerez, with the two-wheeled sport and Formula E also being possible avenues for him. However, F1 is his priority, and Alpine is emerging as Horner’s likely destination.

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Horner has been in talks with Alpine for some time as he looks to buy Otro Capital’s minority stake in the team. The 24% share is valued at around $600m, or roughly £443m.

However, Wolff and Mercedes are also interested in Alpine and have submitted their own offer. The Brackley outfit supply the team’s engines as of 2026, and this deal would strengthen their relationship.

Renault would favour Mercedes’ bid to buy Otro Capital’s Alpine shares over Christian Horner

A report from The Times details the offers from Horner and Mercedes for Alpine. The former wants to return to F1 in an ownership role and has been locked in a ‘bidding war for months’ with the Enstone team and his nemesis Wolff.

Alpine’s majority shareholders, Renault, control who buys Otro’s shares. However, that ‘privilege’ is set to expire in September, after which the investment group could be free to sell independently.

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Wolff and Mercedes are ‘more likely to be favoured’ by Renault over Horner. This is because of their new technical partnership, which is already reaping the benefits, with Alpine currently ahead of Red Bull in the standings in 2026.

There have been concerns raised about a conflict of interest with Mercedes’ bid to invest in Alpine, with many comparing it to Red Bull’s arrangement with Racing Bulls. Wolff stresses that Alpine will not be Mercedes’ B-team, but the situation will be closely monitored.

READ MORE: Who is Christian Horner? Everything to know from Red Bull past to net worth

Otro Capital has say over Alpine’s driver and team principal appointments

Another interesting detail in the saga is that, while Otro have a minority stake in Alpine, they have the final say over driver and team principal appointments.

If Renault, or indeed Otro after September, were to sell to Horner, it may give him the power to decide the team’s line-up. He would likely want such a responsibility, as he wants control over a team, just as Wolff does at Mercedes.

Pierre Gasly recently signed a new contract with Alpine until 2028, while teammate Franco Colapinto is out of contract in 2026. Horner was looking to sign the Argentine to Racing Bulls for the 2025 season, but his stock fell after his repeated crashes with Williams in 2024.