Christian Horner faces ‘difficult position’ as Bernie Ecclestone weighs up F1 return chances

Bernie Ecclestone believes Christian Horner is in a “difficult position” as the former Red Bull boss seeks an F1 return.

Horner disappeared from the F1 grid just under a year ago, when Red Bull opted to part ways with him by removing him from his roles as team principal and CEO.

Bernie Ecclestone discusses Christian Horner’s Formula 1 return prospects

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Horner is one of the most successful F1 team bosses in the sport’s history, having built up Red Bull from a new entrant in 2005 to winning its first championship titles in 2010.

In the years since, he led the Milton Keynes-based squad to six Constructors’ Championships and eight Drivers’ Championships through two separate eras of domination with Sebastian Vettel and, later, Max Verstappen.

However, amidst a difficult run of results and increasing noise about the future of Max Verstappen, Horner was removed from his posts with immediate effect after last year’s British Grand Prix.

After negotiating a full exit from Red Bull to become a free agent, Horner spoke in January about his desire to return to F1, but stressed that this must be with the right career challenge.

With Horner’s future still unclear, former F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone spoke about what may lay ahead for his close personal friend as he addressed select media, including PlanetF1.com, ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

“Christian is in a difficult position anyway,” he said, when asked by PlanetF1.com whether F1 is missing a politically savvy figure such as Horner.

“Wherever he goes, if he doesn’t succeed successfully, people will say, ‘Ah Christian, you were very good when you were with Red Bull and budgets and things like that, and then now you’re not winning because of that.’ So it’s difficult for him.”

While Horner may be an absent figure as he seeks his next career move, Ecclestone confirmed he remains in close contact with him.

“I speak to him quite regularly,” he said, “and, early on, I was trying to convince him to try and be at Ferrari.”

Pressed on where he believes Horner may end up, Ecclestone replied, “I’ve no idea.”

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The route to a possible Ferrari appointment appears shut, with the Scuderia having recently confirmed Fred Vasseur on a contract extension that keep the Frenchman in his role until, at least, the end of 2027.

There is also the fact that Horner is known to be seeking greater responsibilities from his next F1 role, citing that he has “unfinished business” in the sport after his 20-year tenure with Red Bull Racing.

Having been CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing and holding similar positions across the swathe of Red Bull companies under its F1 umbrella, Horner was unceremoniously dropped after the British Grand Prix weekend last summer.

No official reason was ever offered by Red Bull GmbH, but the changes coincided with a period of difficult performances from the team as Max Verstappen and Mercedes rumours were in full swing – the actual reason for the decision to dismiss Horner is thought to be due to the parent company seeking to take back control of its marketing.

Since then, Horner is known to have entered the arena to purchase the 24 per cent stake in the Alpine F1 team currently held by Otro Capital, with the American investment company able to make decisions regarding its stake, without Renault oversight, from September 2026.

He has also been linked with a possible team entry from Chinese automotive giant BYD, with vice-president Stella Li attending the recent Monaco Grand Prix to meet with the FIA and FOM to discuss possibilities; Li is understood to have also held a series of meetings with Horner about prospects.

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Li confirmed that Horner is a “good friend” of BYD, and opened up on the possibility of the electric vehicle maker arriving in Formula 1.

Another ongoing possibility is that of Horner arriving at Aston Martin, with team owner Lawrence Stroll having offered equity to Adrian Newey in order to secure the British designer’s signature to take on the role of managing technical partner and, currently, team principal. With Horner known to be seeking equity or a team ownership position for his next role, the expected arrival of former Red Bull colleague Jonathan Wheatley as team principal is not thought to be a stumbling block.

Stroll is understood to have made an offer to Horner at the start of the season, with Newey thought to be reluctant to have Horner on board – due to the optics of needing to be ‘rescued’ by his former Red Bull boss as Newey has instigated significant change at Aston Martin that has resulted in a performance slump.

Speculation this week has suggested that Stroll has refreshed his approach to Horner with a new offer; however, sources have suggested there has not been any fresh contact since discussions earlier this year.

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