Christian Horner & American Capital

Eight Drivers’ Championships.

 

A Red Bull empire.

 

A team principal so embedded in the paddock furniture that imagining F1 without him felt faintly absurd.

 

And then he was gone.

 

Since Horner’s abrupt exit from Red Bull last year, speculation about a return has never truly cooled.

 

Alpine was the first serious landing zone, with talk of Horner purchasing Otro Capital’s 24 per cent stake in the Enstone-based team.

 

Logical. Available. Slightly unloved.

 

But according to German broadcaster Sport1, that may only have been the opening move.

 

The report suggests Horner — backed by American investors — is also in discussions involving Aston Martin.

 

Not as a team principal. Not as a consultant. But as a shareholder.

 

This is where the plot thickens.

 

Sport1 claims those American investors are, in fact, Otro Capital themselves, preparing to sell their Alpine stake to Horner, citing poor on-track performance.

 

Before reinvesting alongside him at Aston Martin.

 

◼︎ The catch?

 

Any sale would reportedly have to wait until September 2026.

 

Last year, Aston Martin firmly denied Horner’s involvement, with Andy Cowell publicly closing the door.

 

Shortly afterwards, Adrian Newey was announced as team principal after his dramatic departure from Red Bull.

 

If Horner does return via Aston Martin, it wouldn’t be as an employee — but as an owner.

 

And he’d reunite with Newey, two years after one of F1’s most consequential break-ups.

 

❖ Why it matters:

 

In Formula 1, power rarely disappears.

 

📍 ‘It simply changes its balance sheet.’