After the Grand Prix of Great Britain, Red Bull suddenly announced that CEO and team boss Christian Horner had been put on non-active. The Brit was twenty years leader of the team from Milton Keynes, but had to give way because of the lean results. Laurent Mekies took over, also at Red Bull Powertrains. After all, before 2026, its own motor is being built for the first time.
Red Bull, however, still had to reach an agreement on the termination of Horner’s contract. That has since succeeded, because it was announced on Monday that Horner officially left Red Bull. It is said that he will receive around sixty million euros, including a gardening leave of nine months. That means that Horner could go back to work at the beginning of 2026 – normally in April.
And that is perhaps the most important factor of the agreement. There is frequent talk about a possible return from Horner in the sport. After his Red Bull room, a switch was immediately discussed to Ferrari, Alpine and Cadillac, among others. However, nothing concrete, and Alpine and Cadillac were already closed the door.
Not easy
A return is also not easy for Horner. He tried to acquire shares at Red Bull for years, in order to follow the path of Toto Wolff. The Austrian is co-owner of Mercedes and has a big finger in the porridge. Horner did not manage that at Red Bull, and the lump sum acquired is not enough to purchase independently from another team.
Moreover, no F1 team currently seems to be open to a takeover. Around Alpine this played the most because of the departure of CEO Luca de Meo, but his successor François Prevost shed through that the team will continue to exist for a long time. Alpine may ride with Mercedes engines, the brand is still trying to score in Formula 1.
The big question is whether Horner wants to accept a role without shares. If he is co-owner of a team, he will have to wait for his chances for longer and a quick return appears to be excluded. In itself, the 2026 regulations may offer a solution, because there are many questions about the power relationships between the various suppliers.
Suppose a team like Alpine or Aston Martin does not participate again for the marbles, does the peace continue to exist? Who knows, they might put the door ajar for a role as a team boss. At the moment, however, a return from Horner will be extremely difficult if he sticks to his wishes. Not all teams are eager to bring him in, and that while no one can dispute his state of service. However, that in itself is not enough.
