Christian Horner is looking to return to Formula 1 after leaving Red Bull, and according to recent reports, it could be with an entirely new team.
The 51-year-old left Red Bull in September, getting sacked as team principal after the British Grand Prix. He had a contract running through to 2030 but received an £80 million payout for his early departure.
Horner’s gardening leave runs until the start of 2026, when he’ll be free to take up his next role. Reports suggest he’s interested in taking on both ownership and an equity stake at his next stop.
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Alpine have been closely linked due to Horner’s relationship with Flavio Briatore. However, Toto Wolff may not approve of Horner joining a team connected to Mercedes.
Haas have also come up in rumours but are said to have no plans for a sale. As talk around those options continues, reports now indicate that Horner could look into forming his own team, with initial discussions about potential partners already underway.
Setting up an F1 team could cost Horner more than £333 million in anti-dilution fees
Journalist Matt Beer has talked about the possibility of Horner returning to the grid with a new team. The F1 rules allow for up to 12 teams, and with Cadillac set to join as the 11th entry in 2026, there’s still space for one more.
But even if things moved quickly, Beer noted that an entry before 2028 seems unlikely. On top of that, Horner would need significant backing just to get started, with reports suggesting the fee could be well into nine figures.
“F1’s governance agreement allows for up to 12 teams on the grid, which means there is, in theory, currently one vacant slot, with Cadillac joining the field in 2026 as the 11th entrant,” said Beer via The Race YouTube channel.
“To take the 12th place, Horner would need to pull together a pool of investors to help fund it, with the costs likely to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And an entry would be unlikely before 2028, even if things advanced quickly.
“While this would be the most expensive route for Horner to take, it’s equally one that would make a lot of financial sense. With current team valuations being well north of $1 billion, spending around half of that to get a team up and running would appear to be good value.
“Horner was very commercially savvy as a team boss and having convinced plenty of major corporations to back Red Bull over the years he may have already built up an address book full enough that he could find partners willing and able enough.”
“Sources we’ve spoken to suggest preliminary discussions on this front have already taken place.”
If he wants his own team or franchise by 2030 – which is what has been reported – then time is ticking and progress needs to happen soon.
Christian Horner Would Have to Pay Rivals More Than £333 Million to Set Up a 12th Formula 1 Team
Journalist Matt Beer discussed the potential of Horner joining the grid with a new team. F1 allows up to 12 teams to join the grid, with Cadillac coming as the 11th entry in 2026.
But as he notes, an entry before 2028 ‘would be unlikely’. Furthermore, Horner would have to fork out a substantial nine-figure fee to fund the project.
“F1’s governance agreement allows for up to 12 teams on the grid, which means there is, in theory, currently one vacant slot, with Cadillac joining the field in 2026 as the 11th entrant,” said Beer via The Race YouTube channel.
“To take the 12th place, Horner would need to pull together a pool of investors to help fund it, with the costs likely to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And an entry would be unlikely before 2028, even if things advanced quickly.
“While this would be the most expensive route for Horner to take, it’s equally one that would make a lot of financial sense. With current team valuations being well north of $1 billion, spending around half of that to get a team up and running would appear to be good value.
“Horner was very commercially savvy as a team boss and, having convinced plenty of major corporations to back Red Bull over the years, he may have the necessary contacts needed to find partners willing to support the project to the extent it needs.”
Another factor Horner has to consider is the anti-dilution fee he must pay F1 teams for potential commercial losses. According to Beer, Cadillac handed out $450m (roughly £333m) to join the grid and ‘existing teams want the new fee even higher’ under the Concorde Agreement.
The biggest decision Christian Horner faces ahead of his return
The cost associated with setting up or acquiring an existing team presents another big challenge. Most current teams are valued at over £1 billion now. The alternative – starting from scratch – comes with its own set of risks and advantages but could offer greater long-term value if things are handled correctly.
A few teams keep popping up in rumours: Alpine and Aston Martin among them. On paper they look viable, but every option comes with its own headaches when you dig into details like contracts, ownership structure, or even internal politics.
One situation worth watching involves Alpine, who could fit the profile of what he is looking for: a club to rebuild, start from the bottom, and work their way back to the front of the grid.
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