There has been speculation for months about ex-Red Bull team boss Christian Horner’s return to Formula 1. Now the Brit has confirmed for the first time that he is aiming for a comeback in the premier motorsport class.
Horner said at the weekend in Dublin that he had the feeling that he was not yet finished in Formula 1. “It didn’t end the way I wanted it to end,” said the former Red Bull team boss, wanting to make another attempt.
However, according to Horner, this will only happen under certain conditions. “I will only come back if there is something to win. I don’t want to go back to the paddock without being able to achieve something,” emphasized the 52-year-old, who was released from Red Bull in 2025 after two decades.
Horner wants to be more than “just” a Formula 1 team boss
“I don’t have to come back. I could end my career now. So I would only come back if there was the right opportunity to work with great people and be in an environment where people want to win,” said Horner, formulating his personal expectations.
What the ex-Red Bull boss also confirmed: If he competes in Formula 1 again, it won’t be “just” as an employed manager. “I want to be a partner, not a helping hand. We’ll see how it goes. I’m in no rush. I don’t have to do anything.”
Horner is serving a suspension
Horner said that the fact that he has been associated with almost every Formula 1 team in the last few months – there have been discussions about moving to Ferrari, Haas, Aston Martin, Cadillac and Alpine, among others – flatters him very much. But the reality is that “I can’t do anything until spring anyway,” he said, referring to his transfer ban, which became active after he left RB.
However, it is not ruled out that the Briton will be back at the pit wall in the summer of 2026, and according to rumors it is even very likely. His trail to Alpine has been hot for months. There he could acquire Otro Capital’s 24 percent of the team and thereby become more than “just” the new team boss.
