Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey has reportedly blocked Christian Horner from a return to Formula 1.
Horner, 52, spent two decades as Red Bull team principal, winning eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors Championships.
He was sacked last year, 18 months after a sexting scandal threatened to derail his career, and received a lucrative payout in the region of $163 million.
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His return to F1 has been the centre of much discussion — with Ferrari being linked to a move for the British exec.
However, it was Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll that Horner met with this week following the British team’s torrid start to the season.
New Aston team principal Newey, who was recruited to Red Bull by Horner nearly 20 years ago, has overseen three DNFs, no points, and shockingly admitted the car is potentially causing nerve damage to the drivers.
Yet despite his history with Horner, BBC Sport reports he is “opposed” to the ex-Red Bull man being brought on-board.
Instead, Aston Martin are said to be targeting Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley — who also worked alongside Newey at Red Bull.
Stroll has reportedly made an offer for Wheatley to run the team under the guise of managing technical partner Newey.
Wheatley, 58, joined Audi in 2025 and is based in Switzerland, but is thought to be keen on a move back to the UK.
A contract is yet to be signed, but Aston will be hoping for a resolution before the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March.
A spokesperson for Aston said: “The team will not be engaging in media speculation about its senior leadership team. Adrian Newey continues to lead the team as team principal and managing technical partner.”
Aston Martin’s crisis situation came to a head in China last weekend when two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was withdrawn from the Grand Prix because of vibrations from the car.
Following the race, he said: “I could not probably finish the race anyway. Vibrations level were very high today.
“At one point, from lap 20 to 35, I was struggling a little bit to feel my hands and my feet. We were one lap behind, we were last. It was probably no point to keep on going.”