Renault’s top brass are unimpressed by Christian Horner as Mercedes withdraw Alpine bid

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Christian Horner may have been handed a boost in his bid to buy Otro Capital’s shares in Alpine after Mercedes pulled out of the race, but Renault are not impressed by the former Red Bull boss.

Horner and Toto Wolff have been battling it out for Otro’s 24% stake in Alpine for some time. It was believed that the latter was the preferred bidder, due to Mercedes’ engine deal with the Enstone outfit.

Mercedes’ bid to buy Alpine was widely criticised, notably by McLaren’s Zak Brown, over the fear of the Brackley outfit owning two teams. Now, the team have backed out of the deal due to Alpine’s asking price being too high.

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

Christian Horner has not ‘impressed’ Renault’s top brass in bid to buy Alpine

With Wolff and Mercedes out of the picture, it opens the door for Horner and any other interested party to negotiate further with Alpine. Chinese company BYD have also been linked with a potential takeover.

Horner has long been pursuing a deal for a minority stake in Alpine. He has held talks with close friend Flavio Briatore as he looks to find a way back into the F1 paddock.

However, according to a report from Motorsport Italia, things are not going well for the 52-year-old, even with Mercedes out of the running.

Horner has not left Renault’s top brass ‘impressed’, which could prove to be a major dent in his plans to buy Alpine.

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Horner heavily criticised Renault during their time as Red Bull’s engine supplier, which may be another huge obstacle for his negotiations.

Recently, Alpine announced a new partnership with Gucci, with the luxury brand becoming the team’s title sponsor from 2027. The Enstone outfit’s share value has risen significantly, thus potentially putting up the price Horner will have to pay for Otro’s shares.

The former Red Bull boss is up against it with Alpine and Renault, and may have to explore other options as his current situation looks fairly bleak.