Rumors are nothing new in the Formula 1 world. The paddock is always filled with speculation over driver movement, key departures, and potential firings.
This season’s Spanish Grand Prix was no different.
In the buildup to that race, much of the speculation focused on Ferrari, and a potential change at the top. With Italian media circling around Maranello as the Scuderia struggled to start 2025, the seat under Team Principal Frederic Vasseur got a little hotter in Barcelona with a report from German outlet Bild that Ferrari chairman John Elkann reached out to Horner about replacing Vasseur.
As the content gods would have it, Horner was slated to speak at the FIA Press Conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Horner was asked about the rumors, and he brushed them aside while not denying that an approach was made.
“Look, I mean, of course, it’s always flattering to be associated with other teams,” said Horner back in May. “But my commitment, 100%, is with Red Bull. It always has been and certainly will be for the long term. There’s a bunch of speculation — always in this business — people coming here, going there, whatever. I think people in the team know exactly what the situation is.”
He even added a friendly jab at Alpine Senior Advisor Flavio Briatore, who was seated next to him on the couch.
“I mean, my Italian is worse than Flavio’s English, so how on earth would that work?”
Fast forward to today.
The F1 world was given a seismic jolt on Wednesday, with the news that Horner was leaving Red Bull with immediate effect. Does that change the equation at Maranello? What is next for the only Team Principal in Red Bull history?
Does this open the door for Ferrari, and should it?
When Horner dismissed the Ferrari rumors in Barcelona, he noted that he was “100%” committed to Red Bull.
Obviously, things have changed.
Does this news open that potential door more, would Horner potentially walk through it, and should the door even be open in the first place?
Let’s deal with those questions in order.
Horner departs Red Bull not only as their only Team Principal in history, but a rather successful one at that. His run as the longest-tenured boss on the grid comes to a close with eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ Championships alongside his name.
If Ferrari was already interested in Horner, as reports indicate, then this absolutely changes the equation. Previously they needed to pry Horner away from Red Bull, and Max Verstappen.
Now he is a free agent, unless part of Horner’s departure includes a gardening leave period. Given the timing and the “immediate effect” nature of the departure, it is hard to believe that any such period would be required.
But would Horner want to move to Maranello?
On the one hand, it is a chance to not just solidify his legacy within F1, but also become a national hero. Ferrari has not won a Constructors’ Championship since 2008, meaning there is a new generation within the Tifosi who have not seen the Scuderia hold the biggest trophy aloft. In the interim Ferrari fans have seen teams like Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, and even the short-lived Brawn GP operation win a title.
Deliver a title to Maranello, and you become a legend.
That is certainly appealing to anyone, but would it be enough for Horner to uproot his family to Italy?
More importantly, should Ferrari really go down this path? While Horner enjoyed success in Milton Keynes over his run at Red Bull, there have been setbacks, and there have been controversies. His run at Red Bull came to an end as “fault lines” formed within the team, and in the wake of several key departures. Legendary designer Adrian Newey left for Aston Martin. Engineer Rob Marshall now plies his trade at McLaren, and Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley took the Team Principal role at Sauber.
There is of course the friction between Horner and Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen’s father, which seemed to come to a head early last season, igniting another round of “Max to Mercedes” rumors during the spring of 2024.
If it were up to me, Ferrari should remain patient with Vasseur. He joined Ferrari in December 2022, well after the development of the SF-23 was completed. Even using a challenger from a previous regime, Vasseur and Ferrari scored the only non-Red Bull win that year, when Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Singapore Grand Prix.
Then in 2024, which was his first full development cycle, the team finished just 14 points behind McLaren in one of the closest Constructors’ Championship races in recent memory. Ferrari notched five wins last year, including Charles Leclerc finally winning his home race, the Monaco Grand Prix.
While you might expect better results than what Ferrari has delivered to date this season, especially when you add a seven-time Drivers’ Champion in Hamilton, it takes time to adjust to a new team and a new driver.
Ferrari should be patient here, and Horner’s sudden availability should not change that.
Another contender on the grid
Assuming Ferrari is out of the equation, what about another team with a need at the top?
That would be Alpine.
After adding Oliver Oakes during the summer shutdown last season, Oakes departed Alpine suddenly in the wake of the Miami Grand Prix in May. That move came as his brother was arrested in the United Kingdom, who currently faces charges of “transferring criminal property.”
Senior Advisor Flavio Briatore assumed Oakes’ duties in the aftermath of that resignation and the team has made additional managerial moves, announcing last week that Steve Nielsen would be taking over as Managerial Director, reporting to Briatore.
There is also another layer to a potential Alpine move, as discussed by longtime F1 insider David Croft on Sky Sports F1 Wednesday morning: A potential move as an investor, following a path laid down by Horner’s longtime rival Toto Wolff.
“[Horner] looks at Toto Wolff and sees a man [who] has risen in the same period to own a third of a Formula 1 team. Christian I’m sure will have half an envious eye on that and think ‘that’s exactly where I should be because I am of that stature,’ said Croft on Wednesday.
“If that opportunity arises we’ll definitely see Christian Horner back again.
“Alpine is the likely candidate for that but there might be other suitors for Alpine as well so it’s not a done deal that Christian will be able to buy into Alpine. Also where does his backing come from as, albeit a wealthy man, I don’t think he has the means that Toto Wolff has.”
Alpine is a fascinating option, given the investors the team has taken on in recent years, including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua, and more.
Could Horner join that list, while serving in a Team Principal capacity? There is also the fact that while Alpine is primarily a French team, with a factory in Viry-Châtillon, their main base is in Enstone, which would allow Horner to stay in the UK.
The Viry-Châtillon factory houses their power unit production, and with Alpine becoming a customer team and ceasing their engine operation, it would make sense that the main operation remains in Enstone.
But that adds another wrinkle.
Because Alpine is set to become a customer team of Mercedes next season, using their power units from 2026 and beyond.
Meaning that as a potential boss at Alpine, Horner would be relying on Mercedes … and Wolff.
What about Cadillac?
A third option?
The newest team in the sport, and one yet to join the grid.
F1 gave the final confirmation this past winter that after a lengthy process, Cadillac was confirmed as the sport’s 11th team, and will join the grid for the 2026 season. While Cadillac will eventually be a works team, with a power unit component getting off the ground with a factory in North Carolina, they will be a Ferrari customer team for the first few seasons.
Cadillac announced in December of 2024 that former Marussia Sporting Director Graeme Lowdon would be their Team Principal, and Lowdon has been working through the paddock this season as the team looks to solidify their first driver lineup.
But with Horner now available, would he be an option for Cadillac?
Such a move makes sense on two fronts. First, for Horner, it is a return to his roots. He was the first Team Principal in Red Bull history, helping to build that team from the ground up, and built Red Bull into a championship team, securing those eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ titles. Cadillac would be a chance for him to do that again, solidifying his legacy in the sport.
There is also a marketing perspective from Cadillac’s point of view. As they join the grid they are looking to tap into the emerging American fanbase, a principle that dates back to when they first announced the joint Andretti-Cadillac at the start of 2023. As Michael Andretti told the media, including SB Nation, at the time the notion of an “All-American team” was one he believed would be attractive to F1.
Now they need to tap into that market, and Horner gives them a way. For the emerging fan base — many of whom came to the sport via the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive — Horner is a familiar face. After all, the first season of Drive to Survive focused heavily on Red Bull, and Daniel Ricciardo’s shocking decision to leave the team.
Horner is a conduit into that market.
Would that be enough for Cadillac to make a change at the top before they even arrive on the grid? And would a shakeup cause potential drivers to lose confidence in the operation before Cadillac even solidifies a driver lineup?
So what is next for Horner?
Given the three options listed, and the likelihood that there are more to consider for Horner, where does he go from here?
Ultimately, he might opt for the pause button.
Horner has lived inside the pressure cooker of F1 for two decades now at Red Bull, in addition to his time in the sport before taking over at Milton Keynes. That is tough on anyone, and while options will certainly come his way, it would not be surprising to see Horner take some time away from the sport before diving back in.
“I think he’ll take some time out for the time being, he doesn’t have to rush into anything but I would imagine at some point in the not too distant future we’ll be stood outside a team base somewhere saying Christian Horner has come back into Formula 1,” said Croft on Sky Sports F1 on Wednesday.
Horner is young — he’ll turn 52 in November — and already has a lifetime of experience and success in the sport.
He can take his time, pick his spot, and dive back in when he is ready.
And each of the options listed above comes with some question marks. After leaving one frying pan in Red Bull, does he jump right back into another at Ferrari? Is Alpine the best option for him, given the changes that have come with that operation over the past two seasons? And while the emerging Cadillac team does offer a chance at building another operation from the ground up, is that what Horner wants at this point in his career?
He may return to the grid, but from where I sit, it might take longer than we think.
Finally, let’s end on a comparison. As many readers know I divide my time between the NFL and the F1 world. A few seasons ago a legendary NFL head coach departed a team where he had delivered several Super Bowl titles, but that departure came in the wake of a legendary quarterback leaving, rumors of a power struggle at the top, and a struggle to replace that player in subsequent seasons.
When the coach left town, many believed he would be in line for a new job immediately. After a season spent away from the sport the coach indeed found a new job.
In the college ranks.
That coach is of course Bill Belichick, whose tenure at the head of the New England Patriots came to an end a few years after Tom Brady left for greener pastures. Brady went on to win another Super Bowl in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Belichick struggled to win in the wake of his departure and ultimately saw his time in Foxborough come to an end.
And after that announcement many — myself included — thought Belichick would be back on an NFL sideline sooner rather than later. That never materialized, and instead he’ll be prowling the sidelines in a University of North Carolina hoodie this fall as a college head coach.
The circumstances are certainly different. There is an age difference between Belichick and Horner as well, as the legendary NFL coach is coming off his 73rd birthday.
But as we all rush to find Horner’s next job, I cannot help but be reminded of the atmosphere around Belichick when he left New England.
