Christian Horner may only want to join one F1 team even though he'd face 'a really big challenge' – journalist

Christian Horner appears to be keen to return to Formula 1 after being sacked by Red Bull, but his next job in the paddock remains unknown.

Red Bull appear to be in a much stronger position now than when Christian Horner was in charge a few months ago.

Max Verstappen has won back-to-back races in Monza and Baku, and Laurent Mekies has been praised for Red Bull’s recent uptick in form.

However, that shouldn’t take away from what Red Bull achieved during Horner’s two decades in charge.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit won 14 drivers’ and constructors’ championships under Horner, and will hope that Verstappen can pull off one of the sport’s greatest comebacks to win a fifth consecutive title this year.

The 51-year-old could be a valuable asset to many teams, with fans wanting to see Horner join Ferrari next year as their long wait for a championship continues.

However, journalists Rebecca Clancy and Ben Hunt have been discussing the former Red Bull man’s future, and believe that there’s only one team that he’ll be ‘wanting’ to join once Horner’s shortened gardening leave comes to an end.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Christian Horner will only be ‘wanting’ to join Alpine once he can return to Formula 1 after Red Bull exit

Clancy was speaking on the Inside the Piranha Club Podcast, and speculating on Horner’s next steps, she said: “From what I understand, he’s on gardening leave now, which basically means you can’t go and work for anyone else.

“From what I understand, that runs out at the end of this year, so he has the potential to join a team from the start of next year, which is the big regulation change.

“So, he’ll be going in cold, as in he won’t have done any work.

“All the chatter is about Alpine.”

Hunt replied: “Yeah, I mean, that looks like a logical step, doesn’t it?

“I think all the other team principals are all pretty much nailed down. I can’t really see him wanting anything else. I think that would offer him a really good challenge.

“A rebuilding process, potential for a third team ownership role, I don’t know! I think that would be pretty good, it would be good for F1.”

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

Christian Horner once regretted not doing business with Alpine to sign Oscar Piastri

One of the biggest mistakes Alpine have made in recent years was losing Oscar Piastri to McLaren.

Discussing the topic on a 2022 episode of Beyond The Grid, Horner explained: “There was an opportunity for Red Bull to look at him at the time, and we didn’t take up that option, which is something that I regret.

“What he went on to achieve is phenomenal, in Formula 3 and Formula 2.

“Now, if he had been a driver here, there is no way that he wouldn’t have been under lock and key for a period of time.

“I wasn’t party [to the situation]; it’s difficult to judge what was promised or reneged on and so on, but it certainly was unexpected – probably from several areas.”

Red Bull have faced their fair share of driver decisions over the years under Horner.

Alpine need to choose between Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron ahead of the 2026 campaign, a decision that could theoretically impact Horner if he ends up taking on a role within the team.

Horner has been linked with a part-ownership role at Alpine, but whether that comes to fruition next year is yet to be seen.