Just months after getting sacked by Red Bull, Christian Horner set to return to F1 with a stunning move to backmarker team

Christian Horner is reportedly looking forward to returning to a different F1 team. The former Red Bull boss, who left the Austrian team this summer, has been linked with a return to F1, and is reportedly in talks with the Haas F1 team.

According to a report by The Daily Mail, the American team has been linked with Horner over a potential move for the British boss. Reports say that Horner is close to becoming the chief executive officer and team principal of the Kannapolis-based team.

Ayao Komatsu is the current Haas team principal, who took over this role on January 10, 2024. He replaced former Italian engineer and team boss Guenther Steiner. It will be interesting to see if Horner replaces Komatsu next year.

Currently, the former Red Bull man is out of operations as he left the Austrian team following the conclusion of the British GP, and is having to serve the mandatory gardening leave. This means he will not be able to return to F1 before the early months of 2026.

Amid a tumultuous time within the Red Bull camp, the top brass of the Milton Keynes-based team parted ways with Christian Horner and replaced him with Laurent Mekies. According to reports, Red Bull sacked him as Max Verstappen and his team failed to repeat their performances from previous years.

Moreover, the departure of Adrian Newey, the Chief Technical Officer, and Jonathan Wheatley, the Sporting Director, also sent a ripple across the Red Bull fraternity. Amid this, Max Verstappen's link to Mercedes, owing to back-to-back underwhelming performances, also acted as a catalyst for the dismissal.

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Christian Horner left Red Bull with $107 million paycheck

According to reports, Christian Horner left Red Bull with a £80 million ($107 million) paycheck. This payment is understood to be a settlement after he was sacked by the team's top brass back in July this year.

Head coach Christian Horner of United Kingdom and Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull - Source: Getty

This marks the end of Horner's official duties at Red Bull. Speaking about his journey at the Austrian team, here's what a statement from him read:

"Leading Red Bull Racing has been an honour and privilege. When we started in 2005, none of us could have imagined the journey ahead – the championships, the races, the people, the memories. I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved as a team breaking records and reaching heights no one would ever believe were possible and I will forever carry that with me.”

Christian Horner left Red Bull after 20 years, where he helped the drivers claim eight Drivers' titles and steered the team to pick six Constructors' Championships. Horner joined Red Bull when Red Bull GmbH bought Jaguar Racing and rebranded it back in 2005.