Rumours have been swirling about Christian Horner's F1 future for several weeks. The former Red Bull Racing Team Principal was fired from the team last year following a reported internal power struggle, which came after a sexual harassment investigation in early 2024.
Horner, who steered Red Bull to eight Drivers' World Championships and six Constructors' World Championships, denied any wrongdoing and ultimately had his name cleared. However, that combined with the team's decline in form at the start of the 2025 season—and talk about Max Verstappen leaving—ultimately led to Horner's dismissal.
Now, we finally have a better idea of what's next for the veteran F1 personality. Sky Sports is among the many outlets to have confirmed that Horner is in talks to buy a minority stake in the BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team.
Alpine's current Team Principal, Flavio Briatore (though he's actually billed as an "Executive Advisor"), said that Horner is looking to purchase Otro Capital's 24% stake in the Enstone-based team.
"Otro wants to sell the participation in Alpine. It's a few groups interested. For the moment, this is the situation," Briatore told select members of the media. "I've known Christian for many years, I talk with Christian anyway, but this has nothing to do with me."
"First, you need to buy Otro, and after Renault needs to accept the buyer, and after we see what happens," he continued. "But it has no link with me because he is negotiating with Otro, not negotiating with us."
Alpine would surely benefit from Horner's involvement—it's believed that he would take on the role of Team Principal—given his past success and the team's continued struggles.
The pressure is on Alpine to bounce back in the 2026 F1 season after they finished last in the Constructors' Standings in 2025 with a mere 22 points, 48 behind their nearest rival, Kick Sauber (now Audi).
Part of that was the decision to shift focus to the 2026 car sooner than usual, something Alpine hopes will give them the edge as they head to the grid with a power unit from Mercedes instead of Renault. Throw in Horner's potential involvement, and their fortunes could soon change.
Also of note is the fact that Otro Capital is the star-studded investor group which acquired that 24% stage for $200 million in 2023. Key celebrity investors included actors Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Michael B. Jordan, alongside sports stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Clearly, they've decided that F1 isn't for them.