Guenther Steiner has discussed Christian Horner’s potential return to Formula 1 after the former Red Bull team chief reached a settlement agreement with the Austrian squad.
Red Bull announced that Horner had officially left the company on 22 September after agreeing on a settlement, which is expected to be between $70million and $100million.
Part of the agreement is thought to allow the Briton to return to the championship in 2026, which has led to links to a move to Alpine resurfacing, but Steiner does not see a move to the French team as a possibility for Horner.
“I think he will wait a little bit. He’s eager to get there, but, at the moment, I don’t think there’s anything there for him that he wants to do,” the former Haas F1 boss explained on The Red Flags Podcast.
“I think he wants to be part of a team owning, and I don’t think there’s anything for sale or to be headed at, even if you want to buy it, I mean, it’s a lot of money.
“I know he got a lot of money, but what he got is not enough to buy a team. He would not do anything other than being a team principal, even going to Alpine to work with Flavio.
“I mean that would not work, Flav and him in the top position. I mean, then Flavio would need to go, and it doesn’t look like Flav is going anywhere soon. He can wait. Christian doesn’t need to be in a hurry.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Horner was relieved of his duties as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal on 9 July 2025 and was replaced by Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies. Alan Permane stepped into Mekies’s position at the Red Bull sister team, Racing Bulls, after serving as racing director.
Four-time champion Max Verstappen has since secured the first grand prix win after Horner’s departure at the Italian Grand Prix, which he then converted into back-to-back victories after winning from pole position in Azerbaijan.
