Brundle reveals condition for Horner to return to F1: 'Made it clear'

Formula 1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle has stated that Christian Horner has "made it absolutely clear" to him about what his next role in F1 would be.

“I think the current teams in F1 will be pushing hard, as will other stakeholders, to say they don’t want a 12th team at the moment while they’re all jockeying around trying to sort out the 2026 regulations," Brundle said while speaking to Sky Sports News.

“It might be an extra hurdle for Christian. But F1 is his life. It’s where his skills and experiences lie. He made it absolutely clear to me when I spoke to him that he will only come back if he’s got a skin in the game, if he’s got a share of the team and is building something, rather than being a manager as he was with Red Bull.

“He couldn’t get any shareholding in that," Brundle said, also citing Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff as a good example of how that would work.

Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull back in July - Photo: Race Pictures

The current state of play for Horner

After the British Grand Prix, Horner was dismissed as CEO and team principal of Red Bull, with an agreement reached in September to formally part ways.

Right after that settlement between the two parties, rumours then started spinning surrounding Horner's next move in Formula 1. Reports linked the Brit to Aston Martin, but GPblog understands there was no truth to the rumours.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu also said ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix that Horner approached the American team for 'exploratory talks'. However, GPblog understood that it was not the Brit who initially approached the American team, but an intermediary reached out to both Horner and a representative of the team owner, Gene Haas.

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“I’m not surprised Christian is knocking on doors, seeing what is available out there," continued Brundle. "There are not many available doors to knock on, in that respect.

“I’m sure he’ll be thinking about MotoGP as well. That’s just been taken over by the same people who own F1, and it will grow. But I imagine his focus will remain on F1 to see where he can get back in.

“I’m sure there will be partners, sponsors and other people who might want to join Christian on that journey.”

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