Revealed: What Christian Horner is seeking from F1 return

Christian Horner is focused on securing a stake in an F1 team, it has been claimed.

Horner is free to return to F1 by the summer of 2026 after agreeing a severance package with Red Bull last month that will reportedly see him pocket as much as £80m.

The 51-year-old Briton is keen to return to F1 as soon as possible, having been fired from his role as Red Bull team principal after the British Grand Prix in July after 20 years at the helm.

Horner has been linked with the likes of Aston Martin, Alpine and Haas, whose team principal Ayao Komatsu revealed the former Red Bull chief had “approached” the American outfit.

But Horner is seeking a potential investment buy-in with a team, rather than a management role, according to Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater.

“I've been speaking to some people close to him and putting those Andy Cowell comments to them, and the response to me is Christian Horner is not looking for a job, he's looking for a stake in a team and that's his focus right now,” Slater said.

"They've explained to me there was an intermediary that set up the meeting between Horner and Haas, so it wasn't something Horner sought to set up himself.

"In terms of Aston Martin, Horner is a personal friend of owner Lawrence Stroll and I understand he was a guest at Stroll's house in the aftermath of his departure from Red Bull. It doesn't look like that will come to anything.

"Horner is having rounds of meetings with significant business groups - global banks, sovereign wealth funds and individuals of significant personal wealth.

"It's the business side of his F1 return that he's looking at to see what's the best commercial platform he can put together or be part of which will enable him to rejoin the fray, not just as a team principal, but a co-owner.

"It has been explained to me there's no shortage of big business partners potentially to associate themselves with Horner.”

Aston Martin CEO Andy Cowell claimed on Friday at the Singapore Grand Prix that Horner is "ringing up pretty much every team owner" as he seeks a return to the sport. 

Could Horner start a 12th team in F1?

Slater even suggested that Horner could look to start his own F1 team to “put himself in control of his own destiny”.

“The question is will it mean trying to buy a team, or maybe starting a 12th team which would be a cheaper option and difficult to maybe get through with the FIA and F1 but a way to absolutely put himself in control of his own F1 destiny,” he continued.

"It will be some weeks and months before we get further clarity on the precise means with which Horner can come back to F1.

“At the moment, he's focused on the money side of things and getting the right business platform in place to be a big player in the sport, not just an employee."