Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore has temporarily ruled out his good friend Christian Horner as a potential team boss for the French team. Rumours about this possibility circulated in the paddock following Horner’s dismissal from Red Bull. Unfortunately for the Brit, he won’t be joining Alpine anytime soon, as the team is ‘not considering anyone at the moment’, according to Briatore.
In early July, the news broke at Red Bull: Christian Horner was immediately dismissed as team boss. His successor, Laurent Mekies, is now in charge, and the Brit is no longer seen in the paddock. Since his departure from the Austrians, Horner has been linked with Ferrari and Alpine. However, the Italian racing stable had already put an end to the rumours by extending Frédéric Vasseur’s contract.
Horner also seems to have no place at Alpine, at least for the time being, as advisor Flavio Briatore explains in Zandvoort. “I’m not considering anyone at the moment,” the Italian businessman is clear. “Christian is not in Formula 1 at the moment, although I hope he will return soon. However, he is not being considered by Alpine at the moment.”
‘The mafia back together’
Although Briatore thus puts an end to the rumours about Horner as a potential Alpine team boss, that was not the only story circulating about the former Red Bull boss. There was also a rumour that Briatore, Horner and former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone were considering buying Alpine together. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff would actually be open to that idea.
“That would be a very fun story,” says the Austrian. “It would generate the necessary attention for Formula 1. And we need that. Formula 1 has always had its fair share of interesting figures, like Frank Williams, Ron Dennis, and Flavio. If these three were to work together – the mafia back together – that would make a good story.”
