Christian Horner F1 return 'talks' confirmed

Christian Horner is reportedly in talks with Alpine to stage an F1 comeback.

After 20 years of service at Red Bull, Horner was sacked by the team in July and replaced by Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies.

Since his exit, Horner has been linked to just about every team on the grid, including Aston Martin, although his former colleague Adrian Newey has since been promoted to the role of team principal.

Reportedly the former team principal does not want to reprise his Red Bull role exactly, and instead will be seeking some degree of ownership within an F1 team, similar to Toto Wolff's role at Mercedes.

Horner will have to serve a period of 'gardening leave' until spring 2026 however, but this can't stop him from talking to teams.

Horner to Alpine?

According to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Horner is currently in talks with Alpine who have just ended a miserable 2025 campaign last in the constructors' standings.

Horner and a group of investors are reportedly eyeing up that 24 per cent share, particularly interesting after a report in November alleged that Otro Capital were looking to sell this share.

The prospective team boss has not denied talks with Alpine, but refused to elaborate further. The team also refuse to publicly comment on these stories.

Alpine has long been touted as the ideal destination for Horner, with good friend Flavio Briatore at the helm as their de facto team principal since the abrupt exit of Oliver Oakes back in May.

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