Christian Horner setback as route back into F1 is 'dream' and not reality

Horner in Red Bull kit looking down at his phone — Photo: © IMAGO

Christian Horner

Christian Horner blow as route back into F1 is 'dream' and not reality

Horner is looking for a return to F1

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 10 July 2026 20:58 Updated: 21:30

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Former Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner may have just had his hopes of a return to the grid with BYD crushed after representatives for the company clarified the reality of their chances of joining the championship.

This week marked Horner's anniversary of being sacked from the role he held at the helm of the energy drink giant's F1 project for two decades.

Since his abrupt exit, Horner opted to go down the route of radio silence for a few months before giving his first interview where he announced he would only consider a comeback to the sport if he felt the opportunity was right for him.

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Essentially, that means not just a management or team principal role but also a stake of ownership, similar to the agreement Toto Wolff has with Mercedes.

In the year that has passed since his F1 exit, Horner has paid a visit to the MotoGP paddock and made his return to the F1 paddock at last weekend's British Grand Prix, so what are the chances of him actually making a comeback?

The 52-year-old has been linked to existing F1 teams such as Alpine, Aston Martin and even Ferrari, as well as having his name floating about in the press regarding the potential for a brand new team to join the grid with Chinese electric vehicle giants, BYD.

BYD issue statement on chances of becoming 12th F1 team

In a meeting with media at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week however, BYD's executive vice president, Stella Li, and her special advisor, Alfredo Altavilla, revealed the company does not currently have an active project on the go to enter F1, confirming a blow to Horner's return chances with them.

However, the representatives for the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer did maintain their interest could be peaked if the championship continues to move towards a position that aligns with their technological philosophy.

Speaking at Goodwood in response to a question from SoyMotor regarding their chances of joining the grid, BYD representative Altavilla said: "We are not involved in the discussion about the new rules for 2030. I think Stella has been very clear on this: we only consider Formula 1 insofar as our technology can serve the purposes of Formula 1.

"We will never get involved in Formula 1 just to put a sticker on the side of a car. There are better ways to invest that money."

He then looked to the future to lay out some potential terms that could help the company to pursue their F1 'dream', adding: "If we can find a way to become technology partners with Formula 1, we might be interested; so we need to find a solution. But that is a prerequisite. So let’s see how these new rules pan out,."

When asked directly about a possible motorsport project, Stella Li replied with a smile, noting that joining the competition is more of a wish than a reality. "That’s his dream,” she joked, referring to her special advisor, before highlighting on a serious note that the group’s current priority is the development of new products.

When further pressed about whether there were any plans underway for Formula 1, she clarified: "No, no, there’s no such project. I said there’s no project in mind. The dream is always there, but we didn’t have a specific plan."

Looks like Horner might have to go back to the drawing board if he was hoping to execute his own return to the grid sooner rather than later.

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