Winless F1 team boss has been given one more year to prove himself amid links with Christian Horner

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Christian Horner may have to bide his time before he earns another role within Formula 1. With major regulation changes looming, teams want to know where they stand before making such a transformative hire.

Some teams have already ruled out a deal with the former Red Bull team boss. A report this week claimed that Lawrence Stroll has assured Aston Martin staff there are no plans to bring Horner on board.

Incumbent team principal Andy Cowell had already suggested as much in Singapore. Likewise, Haas boss Ayao Komatsu confirmed Horner had made an enquiry but talks had gone no further.

Cadillac have already dismissed any links, while James Vowles said Horner hadn’t been in touch with Williams. McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari are all unrealistic destinations, but the 51-year-old may be zeroing in on a more viable target.

Alpine have given Flavio Briatore another year amid Christian Horner links

Alpine are regarded as Horner’s likeliest destination, with one journalist suggesting there was a 90% chance of a partnership. But speaking on the Auto Motor und Sport YouTube channel, journalist Michael Schmidt said nothing would happen on that front for at least ‘another year’.

That’s because Alpine’s owners, Renault, have given Flavio Briatore another 12 months to show them that he can take the team ‘forward’. 2026 is a particularly significant year for the Enstone outfit, who have axed their works engine operation and will buy Mercedes power units instead.

They see this as their route to a first Grand Prix victory since 2021.

Horner has a close relationship with Briatore, but it’s difficult to see the two co-existing. The Italian is one of the most powerful team bosses in F1 due to his direct link with the ownership, and that’s exactly the kind of influence Horner wants as he pursues a stake in a team.

Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Briatore’s time could be ‘over’ now that Horner is on the market. And Renault may embrace a restructure if the 75-year-old’s radical ideas don’t pay off.

“You have to ask yourself, what does he want?” Schmidt said. “I mean, it’s clear that Christian Horner is certainly not going to take on such a menial role as a normal team boss.

“If he were to replace Komatsu at Haas, that would still be a step backwards from his point of view. He’s coming from a huge team to the smallest team, he’s not going to do that.

“I think that if he comes back, he wants to come back in a position where he has a role like Niki Lauda used to have, where he might also be an investor in the team, like Toto Wolff. A bit higher up, where he’s involved as a kind of advisor. Maybe a role like Flavio Briatore. I think that’s what he has in mind.

“I can’t imagine him simply starting again as team boss, as an employee. He already wanted more at Red Bull. That’s why the whole dispute arose.

“And I don’t see many possibilities for that at the moment. Now we have to wait and see what happens with Alpine. But we’ll have to wait another year. Flavio Briatore now has another year to show the people at Renault that things are moving forward.”

How much will a stake in Alpine cost Christian Horner?

Martin Brundle says it’s ‘absolutely clear’ Horner wants a part-ownership role, having spoken to the Englishman. He could set up his own team, but that would require approval from the rest of the grid, which could be difficult to attain.

Renault own 76% of the Alpine team as it stands, having sold the remainder to an investment group fronted by Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds. It’s believed that Horner must pay £298m to gain a foothold.

Various reports have suggested that he already has financial backers in place. Horner received around £80m from Red Bull as compensation for the early end to his contract.