Ferrari has reportedly not shown any interest in Christian Horner, the former Red Bull team principal. Horner, who lost his Red Bull job recently, is now a free agent, and one of Formula 1's hottest prospects, but not to the Prancing Horse.
On Wednesday, Red Bull sacked Horner with immediate effect and appointed former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies as his replacement. The dismissal will see Horner part ways with the Austrian team after two decades, dating back to 2005.
Reports say that Horner's dismissal is mainly based on Red Bull's constant downward spiral in terms of performance, which was fuelled by his infamous inappropriate conduct last year. On top of this, the Briton also reportedly lost the support of the Yoovidhya Family, the co-owners of Red Bull Racing.
Horner is one of the most successful bosses in the sport with six Constructors' and eight Drivers' Championships under his belt. As a result, his leadership has immense value, something every team would want to have.
However, according to a report by Italian media house Auto Racer, Ferrari has no interest in the former Red Bull man. They currently have Fred Vasseur at the helm of affairs in Ferrari, and are looking to continue their operations with the Frenchman, who joined the Prancing Horse in 2023 from Alfa Romeo.
While Ferrari is not an option for Christian Horner, the French F1 team Alpine could certainly be one given his recent links with them. F1 rumor mills have it that the British boss is in talks with the Enstone-based team, and Flavio Briatore's latest post on Horner is a testament to that.
Alpine boss paid tribute to Christian Horner after Red Bull sacked him
Alpine's de facto team principal and executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, shared his thoughts on Christian Horner after Red Bull fired him with immediate effect. Taking to his official Instagram account, he uploaded a post with Horner, and wrote,
"20 years at the top says it all. A competitor on the track, but also a friend off the track. Well done on your achievements @christianhorner at @redbullracing and wishing you all the best on your next adventure. Forza Christian!"
Here's the post by Flavio Briatore on Christian Horner on the Meta-owned platform:
Christian Horner joined Red Bull in 2005 when Red Bull GmbH bought the Jaguar F1 team. He joined the newly formed team as its team principal and became the youngest F1 boss in the sport's history.
Under his guidance, Sebastian Vettel claimed four back-to-back F1 titles from 2010 to 2013, and Max Verstappen repeated the feat from 2021 to 2024. During these aforementioned times, Red Bull was a force to be reckoned with.