Christian Horner is still keen on making his way back to Formula 1 once his gardening leave wraps up in April 2026, following his exit from Red Bull in 2025.
Red Bull relieved Horner of his duties as F1 CEO and team principal in July 2025, responding to a run of poor results and growing internal tension. Over two decades at Milton Keynes, he helped steer the team to eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships.
Even after leaving Red Bull – a move that was officially completed in September 2025 – rumours quickly started swirling about potential paths back into the sport. His original contract had been set to run through the 2030 season, but Red Bull opted for an early payout between £52m and £80m.
Horner has also held meetings with investors from the US and Middle East as part of efforts to secure funding for a possible return. He’s weighing up whether to build a new team from scratch or buy into one of the current grid’s eleven outfits.
Renault have the power to block Christian Horner from buying Otro Capital’s Alpine shares
There are also reports that Horner is in advanced talks to purchase Otro Capital’s 24% stake in Alpine, a move that could see the investment group cash in on their initial £173m investment from 2023. If completed, Otro Capital stands to make around £600m from selling their share.
However, according to GPBlog, Renault Group may exercise their right to block any sale of Alpine shares controlled by Otro Capital. When Renault sold the stake, they included a right of first refusal should Otro decide to sell.
Horner has identified Alpine as one of his preferred routes back into F1 ownership, but he’ll need more than just financial backing—he must also get Renault on board before any deal can go through.
Christian Horner may need to repair relationship with Toto Wolff to invest in Alpine
Recent reports suggest that Alpine could push back a decision on Horner’s investment until September, as Renault are worried that his purchase of Otro Capital’s shares might cause friction with Mercedes. The team is set to begin using customer Mercedes engines starting from the 2026 season.
Horner still hasn’t patched things up with Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff, and there’s concern within Renault and Alpine about causing early problems in their engine partnership. That deal with Mercedes is expected to run through until 2030.
The tension between Wolff and Horner goes back to when their teams were battling for championships through Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. With Mercedes looking to scale back on the number of customer teams they supply, Horner might need to work on improving that relationship if he wants things to move forward.
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