FIA president welcomes Christian Horner return to F1

Ben Sulayem and Horner in talks in Bahrain — Photo: © IMAGO

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FIA president welcomes Christian Horner return to F1

Horner last stepped foot in the paddock as Red Bull's team principal in July 2025

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 4 May 2026 21:14

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has welcomed a return to F1 for ex-Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

The Englishman stood at the helm of the energy drink giants since their entry to the sport in 2005, but was abruptly sacked from the position following last year's British Grand Prix.

This decision came from the Austrian ranks of Red Bull GmbH and was led by CEO of Corporate Projects and New Investments Oliver Mintzlaff, who broke his silence on the shock axe back in December.

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"We felt it was time to turn the page and start a new chapter. That wasn't an easy decision, but we didn't make it overnight either," Mintzlaff revealed.

Horner became a hugely divisive figure in motorsport, especially in recent years as Red Bull's championship success with Max Verstappen began to be overlooked by drama among the team's ranks away from the track.

Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior towards a Red Bull colleague, but was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation in February 2024, and despite his Marmite-like personality, many are keen to see his comeback materialise into something more than rumour.

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Horner backed by influential F1 figure for paddock comeback

Since leaving the sport last year, the 52-year-old has maintained that he will only come back to F1 for the right opportunity.

He has been linked to Alpine via a reported interest in Otro Capital's 24 per cent stake in the Enstone-based outfit, but he was even a guest of F1 president Stefano Domenicali at last month's MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix, said to be exploring options for a move to the two-wheeled motorsport as well.

Any potential comeback to the F1 paddock would likely have to wait until a significant period of gardening leave has been completed by Horner.

However, given that he left the sport nearly 10 months ago, a return could technically be on the cards.

And this also appears to be something that FIA president and long-time Horner ally Mohammed Ben Sulayem supports.

Speaking to media regarding Horner's future, Ben Sulayem said: "Who can remove Christian Horner's name from motorsport and Formula 1?"

"You can't. It was always successful. But success also has enemies, as we know.

"If you ask me, we miss him in this sport, and I do. I keep in touch with him. He was good for the team, good for the sport.

"We would welcome him back, and someone like him will always find his way. I always say to him, you talk too much, but you don't mean anything bad. He has a clean heart.

"And he wants to come back. As I said, I talk to him regularly, and I feel he will be back. When he comes back, it will be like he went for a vacation."

Turning his attention to Horner's history of off-track drama that tainted his championship success with Red Bull, Ben Sulayem implied that wouldn't be an issue that could prevent Horner from returning to the sport.

"When someone like him has that history behind him, you don't look at his credibility," he continued. "People will come to him."

"But also, it has to be both ways, because how do people know that you are interested if you don't show your interest?

"I don't give advice. I just give some ideas, but he's full of knowledge, his record is amazing, and I do like him. He's been a character in the sport."

So, should Horner wish to sign on the dotted line for a potential return to the grid with any of Red Bull's rivals, we now know that ben Sulayem certainly wouldn't be one to stand in his way.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Christian Horner Mohammed Ben Sulayem