Doubts cast over Christian Horner F1 2026 return as two rumours shot down
A former colleague of Christian Horner has cast doubt on the ex-Red Bull boss returning to F1 in 2026.
Guenther Steiner does not think Christian Horner will rush back to F1 next season.
Horner officially departed Red Bull last week after 20 years at the helm, having agreed a severance package that is reported to have made him £80m richer.
The deal means the 51-year-old Briton, who was fired by Red Bull after the British Grand Prix in July, is free to return to a position within F1 before the summer of 2026.
Horner has been linked with the likes of Alpine, Aston Martin and even Haas, but former Red Bull colleague Steiner doubts he will return so quickly.
“I think he will wait a little bit,” Steiner told The Red Flags podcast. “He’s eager to get there but in the moment I don’t think there’s anything there for him, what he wants to do.”
Asked what he thinks Horner wants to do, Steiner replied: “I think he wants to be part of a team owning it. I don’t think there’s anything for sale. I know he got a lot of money but what he got is not enough to buy a team. Far off it.
“He would not do anything else than being team principal. Even going to Alpine to work with Flavio, that would not work, Flavio and him in the top position. Then Flavio would need to go and it doesn’t look like Flav is going anywhere soon.”
Aston Martin ‘wouldn’t work’ for Christian Horner
In a separate interview, Steiner also ruled out a switch to Aston Martin.
The former Haas team principal believes Horner couldn't work at Aston Martin due to the arrival of big-money signing Adrian Newey.
One of the reasons the legendary F1 designer left Red Bull is said to be because he was unsettled by the situation at the team after Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive, abusive behaviour by a female colleague.
"I don't think Aston Martin need Christian right now," Steiner told Lottoland. "I think there was a lot of unhappiness internally [at Red Bull] and something had to change. The change was Christian leaving, and they are just trying to go back to their glory days now.
"In the last year the problem between Adrian and Christian was one of the reasons why Adrian left Red Bull. So, bringing Christian back, I don't think that would work at the moment.
"With Red Bull, we could see it during the last one-and-a-half years where every race weekend there was drama, and that has gone away. I think Aston Martin with the people they have in place are very well set to show what they can do under the new regulations.”
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