Christian Horner has been silent since his dismissal as the CEO and team principal of the Red Bull Racing team, yet rumours persist over his return to the sport. Behind Frank Williams who was the team boss for Williams for some 43 years, Horner’s night on 20 year tenure at the helm in Milton Keynes makes him the second longest serving F1 team boss in history.
He was brutally deposed from his role at Red Bull just days after the British Grand Prix by the new Austrian director at the helm of the parent company following the death of billionaire entrepreneur Didi Mateschitz.
There have been persistent rumours over where Horner might appear and he has been heavily linked in the Italian media with the poisoned chalice role as the boss of the dysfunctional Ferrari outfit. The furore surrounding the former Red Bull boss replacing Fred Vasseur that Ferrari chairman John Elkann was forced to issue a public statement at the recent US Grand Prix giving his beleaguered team boss a vote of confidence.
Horner remains linked with Alpine
Yet Christian Horner is said to be eyeing up an opportunity to return to the sport with an equity stake in a team, something Red Bull never offered and neither would Ferrari. This has led to a number of teams being forced to deny they are in talks with Horner, most specifically the Haas F1 outfit.
Alpine remain a potential home for the former Red Bull boss given Renault’s uncertain handling of the future of the Enstone based team. Further, Flavio Briatore who has been recruited by the executives in Paris to restore the fortunes if the once title winning outfit has a deep friendship with Horner and recent sales of equity in the team suggest Horner could fulfil his ambitions with Alpine.
Christian Horner had a contract with Red Bull which ran until the conclusion of 2030 which meant his payout was significant. Some reports have suggested it was as much as $100m although others claim he agreed a discounted sum to ensure his gardening leave was just nine months.
Italian publication FunoAnalisiTecnica now claims the former Red Bull boss has recently met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to discuss the possibility of creating a new 12th team from scratch. The last time F1 had 12 teams on the grid was in 2012 and the Concorde Agreement does provide for this scenario to be repeated.
Ex-Red Bull boss meets FIA president & Zak Brown
Horner is understood to have also held a meeting with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over a dinner which was also attended by McLaren’s CEO Zak brown. The FIA president indicated earlier this year that he was open to a new round of applications to form a new F1 team and claimed FOM (Liberty Media) are welcoming of this proposal.
Ben Sulayem spoke openly about the topic of a twelfth team in July this year, stating: “I still feel that we need more teams [rather] than more races. The drivers are coming to me and saying, ‘Please, no more races’.
“When we opened the Expression of Interest [in 2023], what was the outcome based on? Due process, competency framework, and without looking at which company it was, as long as it fulfilled the regulations and the application of the FIA.
“We have an 11th team. I believe we should look into the performance of the 11th team, and then, if there is a Chinese [bid], and I will speak on behalf of them now in front of you, they [FOM] will agree to that, because it is about sustaining the business.”
Domenicali cautious over 12th F1 team
It was a bold claim he made about FOM given during the Andretti application process, Domenicali was adamant there was no room for an eleventh team at the time. Excuses such as the tight post lane in Zandvoort were used to suggest the infrastructure at certain circuits was inadequate to support more than ten teams.
Yet fearful of a multi-billion dollar fine from the US Justice department for “restrictive practices” the Andretti application morphed into a Cadillac proposal overnight at the 2024 US Grand Prix – and the green light was granted by FOM.
The original decision by FOM to reject Andreti was that they could not see how the new team brought any incremental value to the sport. Further a lack of foresight just two years earlier meant the Concorde Agreement had provided for an eleventh team who would pay just $200m to the other teams as an anti-dilution fee to compensate them for the shared reduction in the price fund.
FIA president claims FOM will accept Chinese bid
When asked about Ben Sulaymen’s comments over a twelfth F1 team, Domenicali once again played the logistics card in response. “We’ll only evaluate a bid of great significance because I think we’re already at a point with no more room. Logistically, we’re at the limit,” he said.
China is one of the fastest growing car markets around the world and the resurrected Chines Grand Prix since its Covid cancellations has proven to be a hit, selling out both last year in this. It was not always the case that the annual race in Shanghai was so popular, but with the race being absent for four years (2020-23 inc) and the rise in F1’s social media profile, suddenly F1 is all the rage in the world’s second most populous country.
Horner may be able to do a corporate fiancé style deal with Chinese investors, where he gets a 2 plus twenty kind of equity finance arrangement. This would see him paid 2% of the increase in equity value of the team over time and a twenty percent stake in the incremental value.
These kind of deals are the ones made Toto Wolff to raise finance for his various ventures which also funded his investment in the Mercedes F1 team. Whether FOM would bend if a twelfth team were to be Chinese in nature is yet to see, but its inarguable that a Chinese F1 team would not add significantly value to the already multi-billion dollar sport.
Malaysian GP return
Unlike the middle eastern countries which now collectively form just under 20% of the F1 calendar, Malaysia has a rich history in motorsport. Much of the racing, motorcycles and formula libre was held at the Thompson Road Circuit in Singapore before its bid for independence in 1965.
Following independence, Malaysia then hosted a variety of racing series at the Shah Alam circuit between 1968 and 1995 including Tasman Formula, Formula Atlantic, Formula Two and Formula Pacific.
Then as part of a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990’states, the Sepang International Circuit was built close to Putrajaya the newly founded administrative capital of the country with a view to hosting Formula One…. 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.
