Toto Wolff just told Christian Horner what he must do to set up his own Formula 1 team

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Since leaving Red Bull, Christian Horner has been linked with several new opportunities in Formula 1, including setting up his own team.

The 51-year-old left Red Bull in September after being dismissed as team principal after the British GP. He is now looking for his new role in F1, with Horner able to return in 2026.

Already, the former Red Bull boss has been linked with several teams up and down the paddock. Horner was heavily linked with Ferrari, with chairman John Elkann supposedly interested in a deal.

Team principal Fred Vasseur was annoyed by the Horner rumours, as Ferrari gave him full commitment by offering a multi-year deal back in July. A move to Maranello seems unlikely, as they would not offer a share in the team or an ownership role, which Horner desires.

As well as links to Aston Martin, Alpine and Haas, an entirely new project could also be possible, with Horner holding preliminary talks about setting up a 12th team. However, this would be an intense process to set up, and his arch nemesis Toto Wolff has told him what to do.

Toto Wolff says Cadillac’s financial structure and strong brand earned them a place in F1 – Christian Horner must listen

F1 will have 22 cars on the grid for the first time since 2016 next year, with Cadillac joining the sport. The team had gone through a difficult process to gain entry to F1 – they were initially rejected under the Andretti name in 2023 for commercial and sporting reasons.

The existing 10 teams were sceptical about what the project would offer to the sport, considering that they would lose prize money. After Cadillac took over, they offered a ‘formidable US American brand’ and a strong ‘financial structure’.

Speaking via James Allen on F1, Wolff says he is ‘proud’ to be associated with Cadillac: “Well, we were hesitant at the beginning, if not more, for any other team to join.

“Because with growing the sport, with being 10 teams, some of the smaller teams have really struggled over the years. I mean, Gene Haas has put hundreds of millions into the project in order to be part of it. The same for Finn Rausing, with Sauber. And our teams were having literally zero value.

“And then the cost cap came, and we’ve done well over those years. And we wanted to make sure that whoever jumps on the bandwagon contributes his part of the business.

“And when you look at the final product, the Cadillac team is something that we are proud of being associated with. Because it’s a formidable US American brand, the structure, financial structure behind it is solid.

“The people make sense in how they are tackling the project. Cadillac is going to put lots of marketing behind it. And from that angle, now, it is a proper contributor to the sport, a financial contributor to the sport and a team that we very much welcome, how it is being set up today.

“But we were sceptical of how it looked a few years ago. So in that respect, if you can contribute, you’re welcome, particularly with such a strong brand.”

If Horner wants to go ahead with setting up a new team, he simply must take Wolff’s advice on board. The project will need to have the financial strength to not only compete but also contribute to the sport, as well as have commercial value to grow the audience.

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Toto Wolff is not underestimating the new F1 teams in 2026 under the new regulations

While Horner works out his plans for the future, Wolff will be focused on 2026 and the new technical regulations. Mercedes are rumoured to have the fastest engine next year, but the Austrian is not getting carried away.

He pointed out that the new teams should not be underestimated. Audi, who will take over from Sauber, and Cadillac have had the luxury of solely focusing on their 2026 cars.

Wolff added: “In my mindset, it’s always the glass is half empty, never half full. And I’d rather be wary about making predictions and saying, well, our engines hopefully are pretty decent because we’ve done a good job in 2014 when the last hybrid generation was introduced.

“But as a matter of fact, we don’t know. We don’t know the objectives. We don’t know the data of the other teams. I would also not underestimate the new teams coming in with a fresh set of eyes, without any burden and trauma from previous regulations.

“And that’s why I’m also really curious to see how all of this is going to pan out. And we’re going to see in the end of January, when the first test has happened, how the pecking order is going to be.”