Speculation surrounding Christian Horner’s potential return to Formula 1 has intensified after Flavio Briatore confirmed that the former Red Bull team principal is in discussions with Alpine. Although nothing has been finalised, Briatore’s comments represent the first official confirmation that Horner is actively considering a comeback, this time as an owner rather than a manager.
Horner, who left Red Bull earlier this year, has been linked to several teams in recent months. Alpine has emerged as the most concrete option, largely due to the structure of its ownership and the availability of a significant minority stake.
Alpine’s Ownership Structure Creates an Opening
Alpine is majority-owned by Renault, which retains 76 per cent of the team. The remaining 24 per cent is held by an investor group led by the US-based Otro Capital. This group includes several high-profile figures, including Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Michael B. Jordan, as well as NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
According to Briatore, multiple parties are currently interested in acquiring the remaining 24 per cent stake, with Horner believed to be one of them. Speaking to the press during Alpine’s car presentation in Barcelona, Briatore confirmed the growing level of interest.
“There are several groups interested in buying the 24 percent stake,” he said. “I don’t know how many, six or seven. There’s a new group every day. People call me every day about Otro. I don’t care.”
While Horner has reportedly gathered investors of his own, any deal would first require Otro Capital to sell its shares and Renault to approve the buyer.
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Briatore: ‘He is negotiating with Otro, not with us.’
Despite his long-standing friendship with Horner, Briatore was keen to distance himself personally from the negotiations. The Italian, who currently co-leads Alpine as an executive advisor, stressed that the discussions are not being conducted directly with Renault or the team’s management.
“I’ve known Christian for many years and I speak to him anyway, but this has nothing to do with me,” he explained. “First, the Otro shares have to be bought, then Renault has to accept the buyer, and then we’ll see what happens.”
He added, ‘There is no link with me. He is negotiating with Otro; he is not negotiating with us.”
This sequence of events aligns with earlier media reports which suggested that Horner would not be able to finalise any deal until at least September due to contractual obligations.
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Ownership Over Management: Horner’s Preferred Route Back
Unlike previous Formula 1 moves, Horner is not believed to be seeking a straightforward team principal role. Instead, he is believed to be interested in acquiring an ownership stake, which would give him long-term influence rather than day-to-day operational control.
This approach mirrors a broader trend in modern Formula 1, where team valuations have soared and ownership stakes have become increasingly attractive to investors. There has even been unconfirmed speculation that Horner could work alongside former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to structure a deal.
Briatore declined to comment on this possibility, but acknowledged that Alpine is open to strong additions depending on the role.
“I think anyone is a good addition to the team, depending on the position you give them,” he said. “No problem.”
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Factors That Could Still Block the Deal
Despite the momentum, several obstacles remain. One persistent rumour suggests that Renault could ultimately decide to buy back the 24 per cent stake that it sold in 2023, which would effectively close the door on Horner’s Alpine ambitions.
Another complicating factor is Alpine’s new engine partnership with Mercedes from 2026 onwards. Reports have suggested that Mercedes could play a role behind the scenes, particularly given the well-documented tensions between Horner and Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff.
While there is no confirmation that Mercedes would actively oppose Horner’s involvement, the strained relationship adds another layer of uncertainty to an already complex situation.
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Alpine or Aston Martin?
Alpine is not the only team linked to Horner. He has reportedly held talks with Aston Martin regarding a potential investment. This would be an intriguing move, given that his former Red Bull colleague, Adrian Newey, now holds a senior leadership role at the Silverstone-based team.
For now, however, Alpine remains the most likely option, with Briatore’s comments providing the strongest indication yet that Horner’s Formula 1 career may not be over.
As Briatore succinctly put it: “First, there has to be a sale. After that, we’ll see what happens.”
NEXT ARTICLE – Hamilton’s Ferrari ‘breaks down’ in shakedown and the Scuderia demonstrate their shambolic organisation once again
As Formula One’s most historic and successful team, Ferrari are persistently under the microscope more than any other competitor. In 2025, the decision was made to abandon the in season car development of the SF-25 after just six race weekends to the disappointment of both Lewis Hamilton and. Charles Leclerc.
The lack of upgrades took its toll during the second half of the year, as the Scuderia slipped from a comfortable second place in the constructors’ championship to a distant fourth come the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Whilst the SF-25 was a difficult car to drive, Charles Leclerc managed to rack up seven podiums across the season, although five of these were tellingly before the summer break.
Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster move to Maranello ended in huge disappointment as the seven times world champion for the first time in his illustrious F1 career failed to make the podium on Sunday even once. Now the hopes of the tifosi are pinned on the extra time and resources Ferrari committed to the 2026 project and that the team will emerge as a front running contender.
Ferrari’s big reveal cock up
Yet the same old Ferrari organisation has turned up in 2026. Last week announcing Hamilton’s race engineer, Riccardo Adami, would be benched but as pre-season testing approaches no replacement has been appointed. The four and a half days Hamilton will now have in the Scuderia’s 2026 competitor will see Charles Leclerc’s engineer in his ear.
This is clearly less than ideal given the valuable time lost for Lewis and his new engineer to bond. Today Ferrari again demonstrated their shambolic organisation as they revealed their all new 2026 challenger online. The renders were immediately clear to be of the 2025 car which delivered zero victories in a season of woe.
The tifosi were quick to comment on the error and the uninspiring text associated with the pictures of the 2025 car which stated: “The 72nd (sic) Formula 1 car for Scuderia Ferrari HP is the first designed under the new regulations.”
When someone in Maranello woke up to their mistake, the renders were swiftly replaced with those relating to the 2026 car. The livery is striking and the engine cover is now completely white which resembles the car which Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen drove back in 2016. Ominously the SF-16 from ten years ago failed to win a Grand Prix, and so associating this year’s machine with that of 2016 appears to be another faux par in…CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE
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I would really hope Mercedes/Woolf would NOT be so petty as to block any investment by Horner into any competitors’ teams. After all – doesn’t the saying go “all competition is healthy competition” … and Woolf has made enough money from HIS shareholding to be magnanimous about such a potential situation