Once the youngest ever Formula One team boss, Christian Horner aged 51 is not yet done with the sport despite is shock sacking from his role as leader of the Red Bull racing organisation. Documents have emerged which show the team’s former boss has been removed from his various directorships and his seat on the board at the various Red Bull companies.
Yet for now he remains an employee awaiting a final settle ment on his five and a half year contract which was outstanding. With his earnings at £20m a season agreed after Red Bull’s dominant 2023 season, his total payoff could reach an astonishing £110m.
Horner may well be delayed from making his next F1 move, while the UK employment tribunal hears a complaint from a former female employee in January. The Austrian overlords would hold him responsible should the judge find that Horner is guilty, despite him being exhilarated twice for “inappropriate behaviour” in 2024.
Where will Horner emerge?
Much has been written about where Horner may next emerge, like ex-Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali his experience would be valued by Formula One Management (FOM). The FIA too would find room for someone with the former Red Bull boss’s vast F1 experience, although few in the paddock could see Christian becoming a motorsport administrator.
The delay in finalising his settlement, could cost Horner the opportunity to return as a team boss in 2026. That said, this week new team Cadillac announced its driver lineup, with CEO Dan Townriss also confirming they have no interest in talking to the former Red Bull boss.
A number of paddock individuals gathering in the Netherlands this weekend, have expressed their surprise at Cadillac’s outright refusal to talk to one of F1’s most experienced team bosses. Of course supporting their chosen leader Graham Lowden was the right thing to do, but not slamming the door shut on any involvement with Horner in the future, may be an example of the new team’s lack of experience with the media.
Ferrari quickly resign Vasseur
Ferrari were also quick to shut down speculation that Horner may appear at the helm of the sleeping F1 red giant. Within days of Horner’s departure from Milton Keynes, a hurriedly arranged contract extension for Fred Vasseur was announced in Maranello. McLaren and Mercedes were never really options for Christian and in the midfield James Vowles has also extended his contract for several years.
Audi have seen troubled ties since announcing they were joining the sport, with a number of senior personnel having come and gone. With Jonathan Wheatley only recently joining as team principal, he and CEO Mattia Binotto are getting to grips with the upcoming merger with Sauber.
Haas F1 are too small an outfit for someone of Horner’s stature and so for now his options appear limited. Alpine are the most probable destination and would greatly benefit from Horner’s leadership, having lost several team bosses in the last few seasons the French owned team needs stability.
Honda admit Verstappen the key to their PU development
Insider reports meetings with Briatore
Red Bull insider Matt Majendie has revealed Christian has a close relationship with Flavio Briatore, who has been recruited by Renault as a ‘special advisor’ to return the team to wining ways. Despite German influential F1 commentator Ralf Schumacher insisting Briatore’s “time in F1 is over,”, the pair could forge an impressive partnership. Both have been seen having lunch together since Horner was relieved of his duties and on ‘multiple occasions.’
“It’s not far-fetched,” Majendie said on the Inside Track podcast. “Horner and Briatore are very good friends. They share the same sense of humour, don’t mind upsetting people, and actually would work well together.”
Other reports suggest Horner has secured the financial backing to buy a share of the Alpine team, who in 2023 sold a quarter of the business to a group of US based high profile individuals. Horner and Newey were never afforded a stake in the Red Bull Racing enterprise, unlike Toto Wolff who has since become a billionaire.
Newey’s deal with Lawrence Stroll at Aston Martin, sees him with an equity stake in the Silverstone based team. Majendie added: “At some stage, I could see Horner leading a buy-in. That’s the kind of overarching role I think he’s looking for.”
Horner may join Newey at Aston Martin
One other potential destination for Horner could be Aston Martin itself, where he wold rejoin long term ally and friend Adrian Newey in a Red Bull style reboot. Much was made of Newey’s departure from Red Bull Racing being related to accusations made against Horner by a female employee.
Yet this was overblown in the F1 media, given Newey had elected a pathway of part time work which would have led to him relinquishing all hands on efforts with the Red Bull design team. Newey code to step away from the role of the team’s technical director in 2018 and Pierre Wache was recruited as the ling term leader of that technological division.
Newey and Horner were pictured together at an Oasis concert this year, something which wold not have happened were their relationship in any way strained. “One scenario I like is Aston Martin,” Majendie continued. “Despite the tensions last year, Horner and Newey remain close. They’ve been meeting regularly. The sticking point is whether Lawrence Stroll would ever give up the level of power Horner would demand.
For now, Horner remains on the sidelines — but as the lunch meetings and rumours suggest, his name is far from gone from the Formula 1 paddock.
The tragedy of team mate battles for F1’s crown
Just nine times in seventy five years, has the fight for the drivers’ title come down to two team mates exclusively and it has not ended well more than once. McLaren are enjoying an uber dominant season, now 299 points ahead of their nearest rival Ferrari.
And it is their drivers who will fight to out for F1 immortality, since Max Verstappen conceded the 97 points deficit he faces to championship leader Oscar Piastri. Last season with thirteen rounds to go and not just ten as it is now, Lando Norris was 80 points behind Max Verstappen.
Yet despite the world champion failing to win on ten consecutive race weekends, just two wins in Qatar and Brazil at the end of the ayer was enough to fight the challenge from Lando off. The McLaren driver finished a distant sixty six points behind the Red Bull driver. Verstappen’s challenge from hereon this year would be even greater…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Alex Stanton is a Formula 1 journalist at TJ13 with a focus on the financial and commercial dynamics that underpin the sport. Alex contributes reporting and analysis on team ownership structures, sponsorship trends, and the evolving business model of Formula 1.
At TJ13, Alex covers topics including manufacturer investment, cost cap implications, and the strategic direction of teams navigating an increasingly complex financial environment. Alex’s work often examines how commercial decisions translate into on-track performance and long-term competitiveness.
With a strong interest in the intersection of sport and business, Alex provides context around Formula 1’s global growth, including media rights, expansion markets, and manufacturer influence.
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