The speculation over where Christian Horner will turn up next in Formula One has been rife since last month he agreed his severance pay with the Austrian parent company of Red Bull Racing. It was reported he took a discounted deal which would allow him to shorten his garden leave to nine months from his suspension, meaning he would be available to work again in the sport in early April.
Whilst Alpine have been widely touted as the ‘ideal’ move for the ex-Red Bull boss, Horner like Adrian Newey is eyeing up an equity skate within the team. Yet the price of Horner’s buy in may be too expensive given the 2023 sale of a 24% equity stake to Otro Capital and Redbird Capital Partners.
The cost of the buy in for celebrities like Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Michael B. JordanPatrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce together with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce was $200m thugs valuing Alpine at $800m.
Horner to Ferrari rumours remain in the Italian media
Horner to Alpine a longshot
Even were the valuation to remain the same, Horner with his payout would only be able to secure between an 8-10% stake and the French majority shareholder Renault are unlikely to hand out free equity in the company as did Lawrence Stroll to Adrian Newey when he signed for Aston Martin.
Further, Horner collapsed the deal with Porsche back in 2022 because the German sports car manufacturer wished to acquire 50% of the shares in the Red Bull Racing organisation. The man who built Red Bull from the ashes of the Jaguar company stated that an F1 team needed to be nimble and make decisions quickly, something global corporate entities are unable to do.
This equally applies to Renault, who for years have turned over their senior management team at the whims of the main board of the auto manufacturer.
So it seem that Aston Martin is more likely to be a home for Horner who would replace the rather dull Andy Cowell. He is credited with project managing the building the all dominant mercedes power unit which debuted in 2014, but he lacks the overall experience which Horner has demonstrated and further is a fairly dull character – as often engineers are.
Cowell predictably dismisses Horner at Aston Martin
Its been said that Adrian Newey has a clause in his contract which bars the team from recruiting his old boss. This is based on the false assumption that Newey left Red Bull due to a dispute with Christian and the sexting scandal which Horner was completely exonerated from also played a part.
TJ13 has reported this to be nonsense previously, given the pair were seen partying together at a recent Oasis concert. Further Newey is no prude and is often in the pub attached to the Goodwood Hotel during the “revival”, parting well into the night.
Horner does not suffer fools gladly and recently reported have emerged he has held conversations with Aston Martin. Cowell glibly commented at the recent Singapore Grand Prix weekend that “it looks as though Christian is ringing up pretty much every team owner at the moment,” adding, “I can clearly say there are no plans for the involvement of Christian in an operational or investment role in the future.”
Well he would say that wouldn’t, but Aston Martin have form having demoted their previous team boss Mike Krack to “Chief Trackside Officer” when Andy Cowell was brought on board as CEO and team principal. Further, Cowell did excellent as the head of the Broxworth project which developed the V6 turbo hybrid power unit along with integrating it with the technical team designing the chassis of the car.
Court case over McLaren driver selection begins
Horner “would not tolerate Lance Stroll”
Lawrence Stroll is no stranger to shaking the Aston Martin tree and so Horner could well be on his way to Silverstone with some free equity to boot. One issue the ex-Red Bull team boss will have to face up to, is the fact that the billionaire owner currently employs his son as one of their drivers.
Lance Stroll has had his moments, but alongside Fernando Alonso who claimed eighth podium finishes in 2023 and claimed fourth in the F1 drivers’ title race, the Canadian was missing in action. With just 74 points to Fernando’s 206 at the season end, in a car capable of making the Sunday presentations, Lance proved he is not up to the job and Horner would speak his mind to his father.
F1journalists Ben Hunt and Rebecca Clancy speaking on the Pirhana club podcast debated the issue, coming to the following conclusion. “I think the issue there is Lawrence and how would Lawrence Stroll take to Horner being there and Horner saying, ‘How am I going to work here if I’ve got to fire your son?’” Said Hunt. Clancy replied: “Yeah. Well, that’s what I was going to say. Horner would not tolerate Lance Stroll.”
Lawrence Stroll ‘no fool’
The reality is Lawrence is no fool and made his billionaires by taking difficult decisions. He also understands his son’s meagre skills as an F1 driver and were the team to build a car capable of winning championships, he would put his arm around Lance’s shoulder and tell him its time to move on to try his hand at something else.
2026 is a huge season for the Silverstone based team, their new state of the art factory is fully on line as is the wind tunnel and a host of new simulation tools. With Honda coming in to partner with Aston Martin, they will become a fully fledged works outfit with all the technical experience to build a F1 championship winning car. If the team are in the mix, then Max Verstappen will come a knocking along with potentially Charles Leclerc who is said to beginning to become disillusioned with Ferrari after seven long years of no success.
For now Lance is doing little harm in a car that is just seventh best this season but Fernando might negotiate one final season in an effort to rack up another F1 driver’s champion, which would be a feel good story for Aston Martin to finally give one of the greatest drivers in Formula One a car good enough to again showcase his skills.
Verstappen can still win the drivers’ title. The shocking maths!
How Max Verstappen Could Still Win the 2025 F1 Championship, the Maths – With Formula 1 approaching its climax, the championship picture, while seemingly dominated by the colours orange and papaya, still offers a glimmer of hope to one man: Max Verstappen. According to a recent Reddit post containing race-by-race projections, there is still a mathematical way for the Dutchman to reclaim his Drivers’ Championship title. It’s improbable, but not impossible.
The chart, originally credited to @F1GuyDan, shows how Verstappen could surpass the McLaren duo, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, in the remaining six Grands Prix and three sprint races. In this hypothetical scenario, Verstappen would need to win almost every remaining race while hoping that the McLaren drivers falter at crucial moments.
While the numbers may appear optimistic, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert noted this week that “if anyone could pull off one of the greatest comebacks in Formula 1 history, it’s Max”…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
