Christian Horner reportedly has a secret clause in his Red Bull deal that could derail a move to Ferrari.
Back in July, after the British Grand Prix, Horner was removed as team principal and CEO of Red Bull.
The 51-year-old, who had been with Red Bull for 20 years, was swiftly replaced by Laurent Mekies, who was promoted from sister team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
Since departing the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Horner has been linked with a quick return to Formula 1.
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Over the last few months, the Englishman has been tipped to join teams such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Alpine and Haas.
Last week, it emerged that Ferrari president John Elkann is 'apparently really focused on securing Christian Horner's place' as team principal - despite recently agreeing a contract extension with current boss Frederic Vasseur.
Ferrari were originally linked with Horner earlier in the season but ended up extending Vasseur's contract.
However, amid the reports linking him with a move to the Scuderia, it has been claimed that a potential move could be blocked.
According to Planet F1, there is serious doubt over an imminent move for Horner due to the terms of his Red Bull exit.
It has been suggested that one of the terms 'prevents Horner from pursuing a return to the paddock until the middle of the F1 2026 season'.
Prior to his Red Bull exit, Horner spoke about Ferrari boss Vasseur.
He said: "I think in any organisation, stability is tremendously important.
"We’ve had 21 years of stability and that has borne the kind of results that we’ve achieved."
Horner added: "I think Fred is a very capable manager. He’s obviously managing effectively a national team in Ferrari and with that comes expectation and pressure.
"He’s still relatively new to the role and it takes time."
F1 will return this weekend with the United States Grand Prix, taking place around the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Topics: Christian Horner, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Football
Marcus Chan