Farewell Oxfordshire: Could ex-F1 chief Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell be Switzerland bound?

Christian Horner, Geri Halliwell arrive at Westminster Abbey — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Farewell Oxfordshire: Could Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell be Switzerland bound?

Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi, with Aston Martin rumours swirling

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 23 March 2026 17:42

Seemingly snubbed for the Aston Martin team principal role, Christian Horner's proposed F1 return could come in the shape of a different team, if him and his family are willing to leave their Oxfordshire home.

Horner has been out of F1 since July last year, when he was axed by Red Bull after 20 years in the job. The Brit had claimed six constructors' titles and eight drivers' championships as boss of that team, but has found it difficult to try and secure a return to the sport.

Horner has admitted that he wants to come back to the sport, and has been linked with moves to Alpine, Haas and Aston Martin in the last few months.

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But a move to the Silverstone-based Aston Martin team has failed to materialise, with Horner's former Red Bull colleague Jonathan Wheatley leaving Audi last week and being strongly believed to be set to take over from Adrian Newey as Aston Martin team principal while Newey focuses more on the car design side of things.

And while this might have been disappointing for Horner in the short term, it does mean that a new opportunity has unexpectedly opened up at the Hinwil-based F1 outfit.

Who is Audi's new team principal?

Wheatley's departure from Audi means that the team are looking for a new boss just two races into their F1 project.

Having taken over the Sauber team at the end of last year, Audi are currently embarking on their maiden campaign as an F1 team and power unit manufacturer.

The head of the Audi F1 project - Mattia Binotto - is taking over the team principal duties for the upcoming races, but they will now begin the search for a new full-time team principal.

And Horner has all the experience of guiding a new team in the sport and turning them into a championship-winning outfit, having joined Red Bull for their first season in F1 in 2005, and having them winning world championships by 2010.

Audi have the goal of being world champions by 2030 - something they reiterated in the statement which confirmed Wheatley's departure - and that would be a similar timeframe to how long it took Horner and Red Bull to become world champions.

So we know Horner has the perfect experience for this job role, but the question is, would he want a move to Switzerland?

Why did Wheatley leave Audi?

It's understood that Wheatley has been looking for opportunities to move back to the UK, and the prospect of the top Aston Martin job has turned his head.

That's despite the fact that Aston Martin are well and truly in the doldrums at the start of 2026 while Audi are immediately a midfield team in their first year in the sport.

So it shows that, for some Brits, being able to keep their family housed in the UK while taking on a high-profile role in F1 is the ultimate win-win situation, and Wheatley has left Hinwil after just 12 months of being there.

Audi - and Sauber before them - have been struggling to attract top technical talent because they find themselves based outside of the UK, while most personnel who would be willing to move abroad would be more likely to do so for Ferrari or Racing Bulls - who are both based in Italy.

That being said, Horner and his former Spice Girl wife Geri Halliwell have been under the intense spotlight of the British media for much of the last two years, and a move away to Switzerland for them and their children might be a tempting one.

Time will tell whether or not Horner wants to take on the move to Switzerland, but it seems likely that he will be on Audi's shortlist of candidates for the role, as his former Red Bull colleagues Newey and Wheatley look set to start a new partnership together at Aston Martin.

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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F1 Christian Horner Aston Martin Audi Jonathan Wheatley