Guenther Steiner on Horner's return: it won’t work at Aston Martin.

Horner's Return to Formula 1 in Question

According to The Sun: Christian Horner has been informed that his possible return to Formula 1 with Aston Martin, according to experts, will not be successful.

Horner, 51, received a colossal compensation of 80 million euros after being fired from Red Bull Racing in July, where he was replaced by Laurent Mekies.

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However, the former team principal, who has worked in this role for the longest time – 20 years, having won 14 titles, is already planning to return to the sport, admitting that he 'misses' it.

At the same time, Horner's compensation turned out to be less than the 110 million he could have earned by fulfilling his contract until 2030. However, according to SunSport, his refusal of the high compensation opens up the possibility of returning to Formula 1 in the spring of 2026.

Negotiations are underway with various teams such as Haas, Alpine, Ferrari, and Aston Martin, as Horner himself is also considering the option of becoming a co-owner of one of the teams.

Aston Martin recently brought in Horner's former Red Bull partner, Adrian Newey, with whom he worked for 19 years.

Newey, 66, claims that in his new role as Technical Partnership Director at Aston Martin, he 'has been getting very little sleep' since the beginning of March this year.

Comment from Guenther Steiner

However, former Haas head Guenther Steiner, who became popular through the show 'Drive to Survive', believes that the combination of Horner and Newey in the Silverstone team may not work out.

“Last year, the issues between Adrian and Christian were one of the reasons why Adrian left Red Bull. So, Christian’s return, in my opinion, is not currently advisable.”

Steiner also added:

“I don’t think Aston Martin needs Christian right now. I believe there has been a lot of dissatisfaction internally, and something had to change. The change was that Christian left, and they are just trying to get back to their glory days.”

Steiner also joked that he “sent his bank details and asked him to send a bit of money” regarding Horner’s payout.

Red Bull has shown improvement in results, with Max Verstappen winning the last two races in Italy and Azerbaijan. At this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, the Dutch driver is eager to add this track to his list of wins for the first time in his career.

If Verstappen, who turns 28 today, wins this street race, he will become a winner at all tracks on the 2025 calendar during his Formula 1 career.

In the situation regarding Christian Horner’s return to Formula 1, it is evident that the Aston Martin team and Horner himself are in a state of searching for the optimal option to restore success. Predictions about this step are ambiguous, as experts underscore existing problems in past cooperation. Time will tell whether Horner’s genuine desire to return to the sport proves fruitful.