Aston Martin grilled on Christian Horner rumours after shock Haas ‘approach’
Christian Horner has been linked with a sensational return to F1
Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell has refused to rule out a future role for former Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
It comes after Ayao Komatsu, the Haas team principal, revealed that Horner “approached” the American outfit with a view to a sensational F1 comeback.
Christian Horner to return to F1 with Aston Martin?
Horner was sacked by Red Bull in the aftermath of July’s British Grand Prix after more than 20 years in charge, with Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies promoted as his replacement as chief executive and team principal.
Horner, 51, stands as one of the most successful team principals in F1 history having led Red Bull to six Constructors’ titles and eight Drivers’ championships – split evenly between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen – since the team arrived on the grid in 2005.
PlanetF1.com revealed after last month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that Horner has officially cut ties with Red Bull after reaching a $100million (£74.2m/€85.1m) settlement with the team.
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PlanetF1.com understands that Horner will be free to pursue a return to the paddock during the F1 2026 season under the terms of his Red Bull departure.
It is widely believed that Horner will pursue a team-ownership-style role upon his expected comeback, potentially in a similar position to that held by long-term rival Toto Wolff, who as well as acting as team principal and chief executive owns a third of the Mercedes team.
The incoming Cadillac F1 team ruled out a move for Horner in August with chief executive Dan Towriss confirming that there are “no plans” to approach the former team boss.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, however, Cowell refused to rule out the prospect of Horner joining forces with Aston Martin at some stage.
Asked if the team has held internal talks about a move for Horner, he said: “Christian’s taking some time out at the moment.
“He’s probably enjoying time with friends and family. He loves the sport, though, and I wish him well with whatever he ends up doing in the future.”
Pressed on whether there is scope for Horner to join Aston Martin, he replied: “We have got a strong team.
“We’ve got a strong team with Adrian [Newey] at the helm of the technical organisation and we’re growing and building.”
Invited to officially rule out a move for Horner, Cowell said: “I think Christian’s record speaks for itself. He’s a great competitor.
“I guess it’s down to Christian to work out what he wants to do.
“He might want to walk away from the sport, he might want to do something else in the sport – but that’s down to Christian, isn’t it?
“I think we’ve got a strong setup and we’re marching forward with that.
“We’re a relatively young team. We’ve got great facilities. We’re developing the tools. We’ve taken on strong people like Adrian and Enrico [Cardile, chief technical officer]; Jack [Gioacchino] Vino [chief aerodynamicist] on the aero side.
“But there are also people internally. There’s a guy called Michael Hart [deputy chief aerodynamicist] that works hour by hour with Adrian on aero development; Giles Wood [simulation and vehicle modelling director] and so on.
“And with Lawrence [Stroll]’s vision, and with the sponsorship revenues that are coming in, driven by Jeff [Jefferson Slack, marketing and commercial boss], I think we’ve got a pretty strong team.”
Asked if the “strong team” to which he refers could be even stronger with Horner involved, Cowell hesitated before adding: “I think I’ll refer back to what I said: we’ve got a plan and we’re marching forward.
“And I guess Christian needs to work out where he wants to play a part in the future.
“And who knows what will happen?”
More on Aston Martin and Haas from PlanetF1.com
Cowell’s comments come after Komatsu, who replaced Guenther Steiner as Haas team principal in 2024, revealed that the team has held “exploratory” talks with Horner.
He said in Singapore: “Yes, it’s true that he approached us. And then one of our guys had an exploratory talk.
“Then that’s it. Then nothing’s gone any further.”
Asked if he was surprised by Horner’s approach, Komatsu added: “I’ve got nothing more to say on that. Like I said, you guys [the media] write about what you want.
“I’m not fuelling that story.”
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