Photo: Race Pictures

Alpine confirm Christian Horner interest in F1 team co-ownership

14:54, 25 Jan

Updated: 15:45, 25 Jan

byTobia Elia

Alpine has moved to clarify recent comments made by Flavio Briatore confirming Christian Horner’s interest as a potential new shareholder in the French team.

On the sidelines of the A526 launch — the car Alpine will race in the 2026 season — the Italian manager did not shy away from addressing a question about the former Red Bull CEO and team principal, who has been sidelined since last July following his departure, with Laurent Mekies stepping in to replace him.

His remarks further added fuel to the fire at a time when talk has been rife about Horner potentially entering the company through the purchase of Otro Capital’s minority stake (24%).

Taking note of the situation, Alpine was keen to clarify matters through a statement: “Following some lines of questioning at our 2026 Season Launch event in Barcelona surrounding potential interested parties looking to invest in the team, we would like to clarify and further emphasise a few points which were already stated in Flavio Briatore’s response to media.

Christian Horner - Photo: Race Pictures

“It is no secret that Otro Capital has held preliminary talks to sell its stake in the team, as has previously been reported in October last year. With the continued rapid growth of Formula One, the valuation of the teams has been increasing and, not surprisingly, has led to multiple interested parties looking to enter the sport.

Alpine confirmed that several investor groups have expressed interest in the team, including one involving Horner, effectively backing up the rumours.

“The team is regularly approached and contacted from potential investors, particularly given Otro Capital declared exploratory talks have taken place. One of those parties to express an interest is a group of investors, which also includes Christian Horner.

The statement ends: “Any approaches or discussions are with the existing shareholders, Otro Capital (24%) and Renault Group (76%), not directly with Flavio Briatore or the team. Currently, the primary focus for the team is to be more competitive on track in 2026 which, with the new regulation era, presents a unique opportunity to show a sustainable recovery of performance.”

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