Christian Horner’s return to Formula One appears imminent following clandestine meetings at Aston Martin’s Silverstone headquarters.
According to one source, Horner, axed controversially by Red Bull in July, was seen at Aston’s Silverstone factory “under the cover of darkness” on Monday as speculation raged about his candidacy for the role of team principal, replacing out-of-favour Andy Cowell.
Horner was reportedly one of four under consideration alongside former Aston CEO Martin Whitmarsh, ex-McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, and former Ferrari team principal now overseeing Audi’s F1 entry, Mattia Binotto.
Aston put out a statement earlier on Monday, which said: “The team will not be engaging in rumour or speculation. The focus is on maximising performance in the remaining races and preparing for 2026.”
The non-committal missive always felt like a message begging to be overtaken by events.
Horner was an eight-time world champion during his time at Red Bull (Photo: AFP)
Horner is understood to want a share-holding as part of any deal, much like the arrangement signed by Adrian Newey, who also joined from Red Bull at the start of this season shortly after Cowell’s appointment as team principal.
This might be a stumbling block, or part of a wider move by Horner to take a stake in the team backed by significant investors. Horner is ultimately looking to benefit from the value his success adds to teams, much like Toto Wolff at Mercedes, who recently cashed in five per cent of his 33 per cent holding for a cool $300m (£228m).
It is a measure of Newey’s influence that Cowell, the engine guru behind the dominance of Mercedes in the early hybrid era, has been eased sideways so quickly with an offer to oversee the team’s new engine partnership with Honda.
It was thought that Newey’s central position in the hierarchy would count against Horner, from whom he distanced himself following the controversy that ultimately led to Horner’s removal from Red Bull.
Though Horner was cleared of and denied any wrongdoing in relation to allegations by a female employee of abusive and coercive behaviour, the furore surrounding it put a huge strain on relationships within the team and triggered Newey’s decision to part ways.
But any disagreements they might have had have been set aside as owner Lawrence Stroll doubles down on his ambition to make Aston Martin the dominant brand in F1. He has already invested £600m in the team, including a new factory and wind tunnel on the old Jordan site.
Horner is seen as the alpha candidate with the necessary experience to bring the project together ahead of the radical regulatory changes for 2026, which present aspiring teams like Aston with an opportunity to leapfrog the established powers.
Horner guided Red Bull to eight world championships during two dominant periods, led first by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and latterly Max Verstappen, who emulated the German’s feat with four titles on the spin from 2021, and might yet make it five.
Stroll needs results and Horner knows how to get them. His appointment could be announced before this week’s Qatar Grand Prix and might even lead to a reunion with Verstappen, who was linked to Aston Martin earlier this season before committing to Red Bull for at least one more year.
Verstappen managed the relationship with Horner delicately during the height of the internecine Red Bull dispute, notwithstanding his father Jos’s avowed animosity towards the team principal.
The winning partnership of Newey and Horner, plus a quick car, would be persuasive and could see the old team back together for 2027.
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