Overview

• Alpine shut down prospects of appointing Horner after Bernie Ecclestone likened the move to an eighth Hamilton title, and Ferrari ruled him out by extending Fred Vasseur’s contract this month.
• Ecclestone maintains that Horner’s only viable path back into F1 lies in acquiring an ownership stake in a team, a barrier he has yet to overcome.
• Horner remains on Red Bull’s payroll under a five-year contract and is negotiating a complex exit settlement fueled by his lucrative salary terms.
• Red Bull executives worry that staff bound by Horner-linked contractual clauses may walk away without gardening leave once his departure is finalized.
• Departures of key technical personnel could expose Red Bull’s proprietary know-how to rivals ahead of the 2026 regulatory overhaul.