Christian Horner faced a big setback in the F1 comeback as an official statement was shared.
Christian Horner’s chances of getting back into Formula One have taken a big hit after a team official spoke out.
After a rocky 18 months marked by slow results, doubts about Max Verstappen’s future, and a complaint from a female employee about Horner’s behaviour, Red Bull decided to let him go in July 2025.
Horner had been with the team for nearly 20 years, leading them to eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles.
Since then, there have been many rumors that Horner is keen to jump back into F1 quickly. His Red Bull contract had a clause that stopped him from joining a rival team until May 8, when the non-compete period ended.
It’s no surprise that several teams have been linked to him, including Aston Martin, Alpine, and Audi — all thought to be interested.
Of these, Alpine seemed the most likely choice for Horner because he wanted to own part of any new F1 project he joined. This idea got more attention when it was confirmed that Otro Capital planned to sell its 24% stake in Alpine, and Horner was reportedly interested.
But those hopes were dashed when Francois Provost, CEO of Renault Group (which owns the other 76% of Alpine), said, “There is no discussion today with Christian. We’re looking at our options. I want Renault Group to keep control of our team, whoever takes over Otro’s shares.”
Mercedes was also thought to want to buy the stake but later decided against it. Provost said, “I saw there are no further talks with Mercedes now. I was a bit disappointed we couldn’t move forward. But two things: the Otro situation doesn’t affect us because we’re in control, and we’ll keep control of Alpine as an independent team.”
When asked why Mercedes backed out, Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore didn’t hold back: “Simple — the price was too high. Toto (Wolff) was fair in negotiations, but I don’t think Otro people were. Toto was very fair throughout.”
So, while Horner might have to wait longer before returning to F1, he hasn’t been sitting still.
Less than a year after leaving Red Bull, he’s taken a new job as an advisor for Oakley Capital, a private equity firm in London. They’re aiming to grow their sports business, and Horner has been brought in to help lead that effort.
Horner said, “Sports are growing as more people take up active, healthy lifestyles worldwide. I’ve known and respected Peter and the Oakley team for years and admire their way of building founder-led businesses. Oakley has a great reputation in sports and consumer sectors, and I’m excited to work with them, sharing my experience to support the next generation of great sports companies.”