Martin Brundle has revealed that Christian Horner told him he would only return to the Formula One paddock if he could become a stakeholder in a team. The ex-Red Bull team principal is plotting his next steps after leaving his former employers in July.e
Horner’s name was one of the hot topics at the Singapore Grand Prix. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirmed that preliminary talks between the 51-year-old and a representative of the team had taken place to no avail, while Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen refused to shut down speculation linking him to Alpine.
The Brit, responsible for 14 World Championship titles during his Red Bull reign, was ruled out for moves to Williams and Aston Martin, though, with James Vowles and Andy Cowell taking the opportunity to distance their teams from Horner’s availability.
“I think the current teams in Formula One will be pushing hard, as will other stakeholders, to say they don’t want a 12th team in Formula One at the moment while they’re all jockeying around trying to sort the 2026 regulations out.
“That might be an extra hurdle for Christian. Formula One is his life; that’s where his skills and experience lie. He made it absolutely clear to me when I spoke to him that he will only come back if he’s got a skin in the game, if he’s got a share in the team and is building something, rather than being a manager as he was with Red Bull.
“He couldn’t get any shareholding in that. Toto Wolff is a good example of how to do that as a one-third shareholder in the Mercedes-Benz Formula One team. I’m sure there’ll be partners, as we like to call them, sponsors we might call them, and other people who might want to join Christian on that journey.”
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Aston Martin have been touted as one of the most likely destinations for the 51-year-old. Horner has reportedly repaired his friendship with legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey, who quit Red Bull last year at the height of the team’s internal instability, clearing one hurdle for his return to the grid with Lawrence Stroll’s team.
However, when asked about the chances of seeing Horner in Aston Martin’s racing green in 2026 and beyond, Cowell made his stance clear. “I had a chat with Lawrence this morning to find out what he knows,” he said after FP1 at the Singapore GP.
“It looks as though Christian is ringing up pretty much every team owner at the moment, so you can pass the question along. And I can clearly say, there are no plans for involvement, either in an operational or investment role in the future.”