It wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone to see Christian Horner return to the Formula 1 paddock after his Red Bull exit.
Senior Red Bull personnel decided to relieve Christian Horner of his team principal duties after this season’s British Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen finished fifth at Silverstone after starting on pole position, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was in the midst of a seven-race pointless run that only ended at Zandvoort last weekend.
Horner lost the support of Red Bull’s Thai owners, which ultimately led to him losing his job.
Tensions were already increasing between the Austrian side of the business and Horner, as they were worried he had accrued too much power within the team.
Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 584 2 260 3 248 4 214 5 80 6 62 7 60 8 51 9 44 10 20
Unsurprisingly, since Horner left Red Bull, he’s been linked with nearly every team in the paddock.
Cadillac have distanced themselves from working with Horner as they prepare for their debut F1 campaign in 2026.
Horner has been linked with potentially buying a stake in Alpine, but journalist Joe Saward has reported that another team was reportedly in the mix when speaking to sources in the paddock at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty ImagesChristian Horner ‘could be going’ to Aston Martin after Red Bull dismissal
Writing on his blog after being in the paddock at Zandvoort, Saward provided more details on the potential next move in Horner’s career.
He has suggested that Horner would prefer to have a shareholding in a Formula 1 team if he’s going to return to the sport.
The £1.6bn-valued Aston Martin team have plenty of shareholders, and ‘some stories floating about in Zandvoort suggest that Horner ‘could be going’ to ‘manage the team’ in the future.
CHRISTIAN HORNER’S RECORD AS RED BULL F1 TEAM PRINCIPALGrands Prix entered406Wins124Podiums287Pole positions107Points8,009Drivers’ championships8 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)Constructors’ championships6 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023)
It’s also been suggested that Horner could ‘take an option to acquire it in the future’ although this would likely be reliant on where his initial funding comes from.
Lawrence Stroll has put together an incredible team at Aston Martin, including bringing in Adrian Newey from Red Bull and an upcoming partnership with Honda from 2026 onwards.
Horner has plenty of experience working with Newey and Honda, and that might encourage Stroll to explore a potential deal with the 51-year-old.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Lance Stroll could be considering Formula 1 exit after rallying in the summer break
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are patiently waiting for the 2026 Formula 1 season, when they will hope Aston Martin are more competitive than this season.
Aston Martin are aiming for a top-five finish in the constructors’ championship this year, but considering the investment Stroll has recently put into the team, that won’t be satisfactory for much longer.
Horner could be the solution to that, considering his track record at Red Bull, although whether the current driver line-up is capable of challenging for titles remains to be seen.
Saward went on to talk about Lance Stroll attempting some rallying over the summer break.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacValtteri BottasSergio PerezFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
He’s heard suggestions that Stroll might be ‘considering a move into rallying’ as he approaches a decade on the Formula 1 grid.
However, it’s unlikely that he’ll make the switch until he’s seen how successful Aston Martin could potentially be during the next era of the sport, starting in 2026.
Horner has shown during his two decades at Red Bull that he has very little patience for underperforming drivers.
Although he may struggle to convince Lawrence Stroll to drop his own son from the team, exploring a different path in racing may end up being the best solution for everyone.