'Big question': Christian Horner won’t work for six-podium F1 team until they have ‘new owners’ – journalist

The world of Formula 1 is patiently waiting to see where Christian Horner will re-emerge after parting ways with Red Bull Racing.

Christian Horner was the longest-serving team principal in the paddock before being sacked by Red Bull after the British Grand Prix.

That accolade has now been passed onto Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Horner reignited his rivalry with the 53-year-old as soon as next season.

There are a plethora of options available to the former Red Bull chief, with Bernie Ecclestone telling Horner to seek a leadership role at MotoGP.

It appears as though a return to Formula 1 is his priority, but which team he’ll be working for remains a mystery.

Cadillac have ruled out working with Horner ahead of their F1 debut, and it would be very difficult to see him ever teaming up with Mercedes or Ferrari.

Journalists Glenn Freeman and Edd Straw were discussing Horner’s options and explained why Alpine are unlikely to be his next destination due to their current ownership structure.

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Christian Horner would only work for Alpine in Formula 1 if they had ‘new owners’

Freeman joked on The Race F1 Podcast that Horner will arrive at Alpine and tell them that what they need is their own power unit, having given up their Renault engines in favour of becoming a Mercedes customer team.

Straw replied: “Well, that’s the thing. And that comes right back to all my complaints about them ditching their power unit program.

“That’s the big question. He would want to see in any organisation like that, that there’s a direction to go in.

“Is he going to want to run Renault-owned Alpine while Renault still own Alpine?”

Freeman said: “No, it would have to be for new owners.”

After discussing Horner’s lack of power at Red Bull given he wasn’t an owner like many other team principals when he first started in Formula 1, Straw continued: “Make no mistake, we’ll be very clear on this, that was the reason Horner was removed.

“They removed him, it was a power thing, it was a power and politics thing and a control thing.

“And it was something that you could see looming on the horizon as soon as Dietrich Mateschitz was lost in what 2022. You could see that was one possible way things could go, and that’s how it played out.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

What is Renault’s stance on remaining in Formula 1 with Alpine after Luca de Meo’s exit?

Alpine are in an awkward position compared to many of their Formula 1 rivals.

Under the control of parent company Renault, Alpine have seen a flurry of team principals come and go, with Steve Nielsen the latest person appointed to the role.

The French team couldn’t be further away from adding to their six Formula 1 podiums, currently sitting at the bottom of the constructors’ championship.

They’ve given up their in-house power units to become a Mercedes customer team, with Flavio Briatore taking a prominent role within the team.

Horner and Briatore have a good relationship, but after Luca de Meo quit as CEO, there were questions about Renault’s commitment to the project.

Renault have doubled down on keeping Alpine in Formula 1, which might mean any potential partnership with Horner is out of the question.

However, if Alpine put a partial stake of the team up for sale, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Horner saw it as too good an opportunity to turn down.