Toto Wolff looking to block Christian Horner's F1 return - reports

Christian Horner's F1 return could be thwarted by Toto Wolff after Mercedes emerged as a surprise bidder for a stake in Alpine.

Horner has been linked to a purchase of Otro Capital's 24 per cent stake in Alpine F1 team, with team executive Flavio Briatore confirming earlier this year 'negotiations' were ongoing.

Now, The Telegraph have reported a thrilling twist in the tale, and claim Mercedes team principal Wolff is leading a bid to buy the same stake Horner is interested in.

Alongside confirming Horner's interest in Alpine, Briatore also added that 'a few groups' were also curious about the stake, but did not confirm whether Mercedes were one of these parties.

Otro Capital declined to comment on the potential purchase, and a Mercedes spokesperson said: "Mercedes is a key strategic partner of Alpine and we are being kept apprised of the latest developments."

Alpine said: "[The team are] regularly approached and contacted by multiple parties and potential investors. We do not comment on any specific names or individuals.

"Any discussions are not a matter for the team, they’re between the stakeholders and parties expressing an interest. The primary focus is the immediate task at hand which is the start of the racing season and seeing a sustained recovery of performance on track."

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What does Mercedes interest mean for Horner?

Mercedes will supply Alpine with their engines until at least the end of 2030, and while the Renault Group would continue to own 76 per cent of Alpine, Mercedes could perhaps use their engine relationship as leverage against a Horner deal.

Greater synergy between Mercedes and Alpine also opens the door to the question: Could Alpine become Mercedes' sister team?

Red Bull's purchase of Minardi in 2005 saw the birth of their junior team Toro Rosso, which has since been rebranded Alpha Tauri and now Racing Bulls. Are Mercedes about to embark on a similar path?

Even if Alpine didn't become a Mercedes junior team, as partial owners, their relationship could be deemed a conflict of interest, particularly to squads such as McLaren and Ferrari who don't have a similar relationship with rival teams.

Zak Brown for example, has been open about his concern over the connection between Red Bull and Racing Bulls, claiming it compromises sporting fairness.

Either way, Mercedes interest means that Horner's return to the F1 grid may be harder fought than originally anticipated.

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