Christian Horner lifts lid on surprise MotoGP paddock visit with F1 boss

Former Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner made a surprise appearance in the MotoGP paddock along with Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali on Saturday.

Horner was sacked by Red Bull in the aftermath of last year’s British Grand Prix after more than two decades in charge of the Milton Keynes-based team.

Christian Horner visits MotoGP paddock with F1 boss

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As reported at the time by PlanetF1.com, the 52-year-old went on to agree a settlement worth $100million (£73.8m/€85.3m at current exchange rates) with Red Bull in September 2025.

Horner has been strongly linked with a return to Formula 1 over recent months.

Alpine confirmed in January that a group of investors including Horner is among the parties interested in purchasing Otro Capital’s 24 per cent stake in the team.

Horner has also been persistently linked with the Aston Martin team, where his former Red Bull colleague Adrian Newey currently acts as team principal.

As reported by PlanetF1.com last month, Horner is thought to be in contention for a role with Aston Martin with the former Red Bull boss understood to have regular contact with executive chairman Lawrence Stroll.

It is believed that Stroll is eager to bring Horner on board in a CEO-type role with equity in the team.

Horner made a surprise visit to the MotoGP paddock in Jerez on Saturday along with Domenicali, the Formula 1 president and chief executive.

His trip saw him reunited with Koji Watanabe, the president of the Honda Racing Corporation, in the garage of the Honda factory team at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Honda acted as Red Bull’s F1 engine supplier for seven years between 2019 and 2025, winning four consecutive world championships with Max Verstappen, before entering a new technical partnership with Aston Martin ahead of the F1 2026 season.

Asked if he would be interested in purchasing a team in MotoGP, which now operates under the same Liberty Media ownership as F1, Horner told the MotoGP television feed: “I have always been a big fan of MotoGP.

“While I’ve got a little bit of time, I thought it was a good opportunity to come down and have a look at the championship.

“Obviously, [MotoGP] is under new ownership now, in common with Formula 1, and it’s great to see the bikes and how they have evolved.

“I was last at a MotoGP race in Estoril in 2005, so it’s been a while.

“I think it’s a really interesting time for MotoGP. It’s going through a period of change under new ownership as well, so I wanted to come here and see a little bit for myself.

“It’s great racing. It’s a great show. The riders are incredible and the bikes are incredible.

“It’s only when you get to see it live that you appreciate how insane these machines are.

“I think as a sport, it has so much to offer, so hopefully the Liberty guys, with the experience they have in Formula 1, will be able to lean into that.

“I know Stefano is very passionate. I’m here with him today, so there’s going to be some synergies there.”

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner made the switch from F1 to MotoGP last year, leading a consortium that purchased the Tech3 team.

Pierre Gasly, the Alpine F1 driver, was named as one of the investors behind the deal, making the Frenchman the first active Formula 1 driver to invest in a MotoGP team.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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