Christian Horner says he is “comfortable” potentially never returning to Formula 1 if his conditions are not met, which is ruling out one team he has often been linked to.

Most of the teams in the F1 paddock have seen their names be linked with Horner since Red Bull sacked their long-time CEO and team principal in July 2025. The Briton had led the team from Milton Keynes for 20 years, but Red Bull GmbH no longer believed he was the right fit.

Chiefs from the parent Red Bull GmbH company fired Horner only days after the 2025 British Grand Prix, as the F1 team’s declining results and his fight for greater power were enough to bring about the end of his tenure. It is believed that Red Bull felt Horner had taken too much power after the passing of founder Dietrich Mateschitz, as he had his hands in multiple pies.

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Christian Horner does not feel Alpine match his vision for a return to Formula 1

The only aspect that Horner never enjoyed while at Red Bull was shares in the F1 team. Red Bull refused to give the 52-year-old shares despite his roles overseeing Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Technologies and Red Bull Powertrains (which was even his creation after Honda’s exit).

So, Horner is determined to hold shares in whichever team he joins next, which had led him to speak to Alpine as Otro Capital is keen to sell its 24% stake in the Enstone crew. However, while executive adviser Flavio Briatore confirmed in January that Horner was in talks to buy Otro Capital’s stake in Alpine, the Briton now does not believe Alpine share his vision to win.

Horner told Sky Sports News (20/10, 12:24): “I stepped out of the sport circa 15 months ago, and I’ve taken my time, I’ve met some very interesting people, and Formula 1 is in such a great place. There are so many people that want to invest in the sport.

“And if I were to come back, it would be ideally with skin in the game as an equity holder and in a position that was empowered to make change. Otherwise, I wouldn’t go back for just anything. I’d only want to work with like-minded people who want to win.

“You’ve got 11 teams currently in Formula 1. The value of those teams have all increased dramatically. If the right opportunity in a team existed, I’d certainly consider it seriously. Right here, right now, I don’t see that at Alpine.

“But all of those teams should be striving to win, and obviously they’re all very different in character and make-up. But for me, if the opportunity opens up, I’ll certainly look at it very strongly. But if I don’t, then I’m comfortable with that.”

It has been said for the past year that Horner has met investors in the USA and Middle East to gather enough potential backers who are willing to help fund his partial takeover of one of the existing 11 teams. It has also been suggested on multiple occasions that Horner may yet look to establish his own F1 team if the right opportunity does not emerge beforehand.

Reports last year even suggested that Horner discussed creating a new team with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, as he tried to explore all of his options after finalising the terms of his pay-off from Red Bull – for whom he was due to be under contract through 2030. However, one year later, Horner still remains a free agent and talk of launching his own team is tepid.