Christian Horner 'Facing Extended Exile From F1' as Fresh Issue Revealed

Christian Horner's return to Formula 1 after his Red Bull departure could be further delayed, according to a new report.

Horner was sacked as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing in July.

At the time of his departure, he had overseen every race that Red Bull had competed in since they entered Formula 1 in 2005.

Horner was initially placed on gardening leave by Red Bull, with his contract due to run until the end of 2030.

But the two parties agreed a pay-off in September, with BBC Sport reporting - though others give different accounts - that he received a sum of around £52 million.

That allowed Red Bull to terminate his contract and - crucially, in Horner's case - gave the 52-year-old the opportunity to return to F1 from the 2026 season.

According to F1 journalist Pedro Fermin Flores, Horner has held talks over taking over as team principal at Alpine, who finished bottom of the Constructors' Championship in 2025.

It is also claimed that he is in 'advanced negotiations' to acquire a stake in the French team, whose executive advisor and current team principal is Horner's close friend Flavio Briatore.

Christian Horner and Flavio Briatore pictured (Image: Getty)

But PlanetF1 report that a major new detail has emerged that could theoretically delay Horner's arrival at the team.

The team are minority owned by a consortium headed by Otro Capital, a private equity and investment firm, who hold a 24 per cent stake.

Reports claim that Otro are interested in selling the club, with their current stake valued at around $588 million by Forbes in November.

But PlanetF1 say they have discovered a key clause in the sale agreement, which states that Otro can only sell their stake 'after the date which is three years after the date of adoption of these articles'.

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The document adds that the sale can only proceed with the approval of Renault - with Alpine being the sports and racing car division of the French car manufacturer.

The document is dated as September 13, 2023, meaning it would be September 2026 before a sale could proceed.

That would not stop Horner from returning to Formula 1 imminently if he solely wanted to be team principal.

But reports surrounding his interest in a team takeover emerged in mid-December, with De Telegraaf claiming he was putting together a team of investors - indicating his desire to own a part-stake is clear.