Christian Horner has spoken up for the first time since his sacking at Red Bull. The former team principal talks of ‘unfinished business’ in Formula 1 and doesn’t hide his ambition to return to the top flight. There are, however, a few conditions attached to any potential comeback from Horner: ‘I will only come back for something I can win with.’
Christian Horner was sacked in July 2025 — the day after the British Grand Prix — as team principal at Red Bull. Although the team gave no reason at the time for the Briton’s departure, the Austrian outfit’s results during the first half of the 2025 season were disappointing. Horner was succeeded by Laurent Mekies.
Rumours about a possible return to Formula 1 started almost immediately. Horner has been linked to Alpine and Aston Martin. Speaking of ‘unfinished business in Formula 1’ in his first interview with the media since his sacking, he said: “I feel I still have something to finish in Formula 1,” Horner said at the European Motor Show in Dublin. “It’s not over the way I wanted it to be.”
Horner is quick to stress he’s not simply “coming back” to the top flight. “I’ll only return for something I can win with,” the former team principal adds. “I don’t want to go back to the paddock unless I have something to do. I do miss the sport; I miss the people, I miss the team I built. I had 21 incredible years in Formula 1. It was a great time, during which I won many races and championships and worked with some fantastic drivers, engineers and partners.”
‘Not a hired gun’
Earlier there were rumours that investors in Alpine, Otro Capital, would be willing to sell their shares in the French team to Horner. While the Brit won’t comment on that, he makes clear he doesn’t see a future for himself as a “hired gun” in Formula 1. “I don’t have to go back. I could end my career now. So I would only return for the right opportunity to work with great people, and to work in an environment where people want to win and share that desire. I’d rather be a partner than just a hired gun, but we’ll see how it plays out. There’s no rush. I don’t have to do anything,” Horner concludes.
