Christian Horner to follow Toto Wolff blueprint? ‘Likely’ next move teased

As the dust settles on news of Christian Horner’s surprise sacking as CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing, all eyes are turning to what could be next for the longtime boss.

According to David Croft on Sky Sports News, Horner’s most likely path back into Formula 1 would involve mimicking Toto Wolff by buying an ownership stake in a team.

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On Wednesday, 9 July, 2025 came the shocking news that Christian Horner had been sacked from his role as CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing.

Horner has helmed the team since it first entered the sport, with his bombastic leadership defining its attitude as it pursued multiple World Championships with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

However, Red Bull has struggled in recent months.

Midway through 2024, it was clear that the team was unable to introduce upgrades to counter the performance gained by the likes of McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari — so while an ever-dominant Max Verstappen was still able to clinch his fourth driver title, the team had to content itself with third overall in the World Constructors’s Championship.

The difficulties of the RB20 have only been magnified in this year’s 2025 challenger, the RB21. Red Bull currently sits fourth overall in the constructors’ standings, with Verstappen maintaining a distant third in the fight for a fifth consecutive crown.

As major players like Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley headed off for greener pastures, performance continued to suffer.

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But what’s next for Christian Horner? Will we see him in the F1 paddock again? David Croft stated on Sky Sports News that he felt confident the former boss would be back — though his role in the future could look much different.

Of Horner, Croft said, “He looks at Toto Wolff and sees a man that has risen in the same period that Christian has to own a third of a Formula 1 team, and Christian, I’m sure, will have a half an envious eye on that and think, ‘That’s exactly where I should be because I am of that stature.’

“So if that opportunity arises, we’ll definitely see Christian Horner back again.”

Wolff’s place at Mercedes is secure in large part thanks to his ownership stake; without that at Red Bull, Horner was subject to sacking in the event majority ownership called for it.

And there is indeed a team on the grid that Horner could buy into: Alpine. But would Alpine want him? And could he afford a major stake?

“There might be other suitors for Alpine as well, so it’s not a done deal that Christian will be able to buy into Alpine,” Croft explained.

“And also, where does his backing come from? Because I don’t think, albeit a very wealthy man, he’s got the means that Toto Wolff has.”

With stars like Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Rory McIlroy, Rob McElhenney, and Michael B. Jordan — among several others — making major investments into the team, it can be difficult to imagine where Horner could fit in, even with the reported £50 million settlement he’ll receive from Red Bull.

Aside from Alpine, it is not clear where Horner could end up next, with Croft dismissing speculation that the Briton could head off to Ferrari by claiming that it is “probably too soon to jump out of this frying pan and into a bigger fire somewhere in Maranello.”

Instead, Croft reasoned, “I think he will take some time out for the time being.

“He doesn’t have to rush into anything, but I would imagine at some stage in the not too distant future, we’ll be stood outside one team base somewhere saying, ‘Christian Horner has come back into F1.'”

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