The Formula 1 paddock, usually a place of whispered rumors and closed-door deals, has been shaken to its core by a double revelation that threatens to rewrite the narrative of the 2025 season and dramatically alter the landscape for 2026.
Former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, the architect behind the team’s modern dynasty, is not merely seeking a return to the sport; he is orchestrating a takeover. According to exclusive reports emerging this week, Horner is in active, advanced negotiations to acquire a significant ownership stake in the beleaguered Alpine F1 Team. But as seismic as this business maneuver is, it pales in comparison to the emotional bombshell dropped by four-time world champion Max Verstappen. In a candid admission that has left Red Bull leadership stunned, Verstappen revealed that he and Horner maintained a secret, continuous line of communication throughout the entirety of the 2025 championship fight—long after Horner was officially ousted from the team.
The Secret Alliance: “He Went Through Fire For Me”
When Red Bull Racing parted ways with Christian Horner in July 2025, following the British Grand Prix, the public narrative was one of a clean break. The team, under the new leadership of Laurent Mekies, was supposed to be moving into a new era. However, Verstappen has now pulled back the curtain on what was really happening behind the scenes.
In a raw and revealing interview with Viaplay, the Dutch champion confessed that the bond between him and his former boss was never severed. While the media speculated on the internal power struggles and the “unrest” that led to Horner’s departure, Verstappen was quietly receiving daily support from the man who discovered him.
“We kept in touch every week, during every race—on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” Verstappen admitted, confirming a level of contact that borders on a shadow management structure. This revelation paints a startling picture of the 2025 season’s second half. As Verstappen fought claw and tooth to recover a 104-point deficit against McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, it wasn’t just Mekies in his ear; it was Horner, from a distance, texting encouragement and advice.
“It’s more about him saying ‘I wish you the best of luck’ and ‘I believe in you, I’m your biggest fan’ but also about what we’ve all been through,” Verstappen explained. His words carry the weight of a decade of shared history, specifically referencing the crucible of the 2021 championship battle against Lewis Hamilton. “Christian ultimately went through fire for me,” he added, a sentiment that suggests his loyalty to Horner remains far stronger than his allegiance to the current corporate structure of Red Bull.
This “back-channel” support system raises uncomfortable questions for Red Bull’s current hierarchy. While they celebrated a resurgence in form late in the season—where Verstappen secured six wins in the final nine races—it appears the driver’s mental fortitude was being bolstered by the very man the shareholders had removed. Verstappen was careful not to disparage the new management, acknowledging Mekies’ success, but his refusal to let go of Horner speaks volumes. “I don’t want to disparage Christian because he has obviously achieved a great deal… and others have yet to achieve that.”
The Alpine Power Play: Buying Leverage with a £60M War Chest
While his emotional ties remain with Verstappen, Horner’s professional ambitions have found a new, surprising target: Enstone. The reports indicate that Horner is eyeing a 24% stake in the Alpine F1 Team, a move that would transition him from an employee to a team owner—a status that offers the ultimate job security.
The opportunity arises from the reported exit of Otro Capital. The American investment group, which made headlines in 2023 by bringing in Hollywood A-listers like Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Michael B. Jordan, pumped $200 million into Alpine. They hoped for a glamorous turnaround; instead, they got a nightmare. Less than three years later, with Alpine finishing dead last in the 2025 Constructors’ Championship, the glitz has faded, and the investors want out.
Enter Christian Horner. Armed with a reported £60M (approx. $76M USD) severance package from Red Bull—a “golden parachute” of historic proportions—Horner has the capital to buy his way back in. The timing is meticulous. His “gardening leave” expires in April 2026, just after the start of the new season in Melbourne. This aligns perfectly with a mid-season entry or a strategic consulting role before taking full control.
A Team in Desperate Need of a Savior
Why Alpine? To the casual observer, leaving a championship-winning operation to join the team that finished 10th seems like madness. But in Formula 1, chaos is a ladder. Alpine is currently a ship without a rudder. The team’s 2025 campaign was described as an “unmitigated disaster.” They replaced rookie Jack Doohan after just six races, and veteran driver Pierre Gasly endured the worst statistical season of his career, scoring a measly 22 points.
Gasly’s assessment of the 2025 car was brutal and publicly humiliating for the manufacturer. “I told them to keep the car out of my sight next year,” Gasly told reporters after the season finale. “I’m sure we can put it in a corner at Enstone.”
Currently, the team is being steered by the 75-year-old Flavio Briatore, a figure widely viewed as a temporary fix. Alpine needs more than a caretaker; they need a rebuild. Horner brings instant credibility, a ruthlessness that Enstone lacks, and a proven blueprint for turning mid-field strugglers into world beaters. For Alpine’s parent company Renault, handing the keys to Horner might be the only way to salvage their F1 reputation.
The Mercedes Engine Paradox and Future Conflicts
However, Horner’s potential arrival at Alpine comes with a rich layer of irony and conflict. From 2026, Alpine will cease manufacturing its own engines and become a customer team of Mercedes. This means Christian Horner would be forced to work directly with Mercedes High Performance Powertrains—and by extension, his arch-nemesis, Toto Wolff.
The relationship between Horner and Wolff has been openly hostile for years, defined by bickering, protests, and the toxic fallout of the 2021 season. The idea of Horner relying on Wolff for hardware is a scriptwriter’s dream. Furthermore, Horner would have to navigate the politics of a team that has just signed a deal to use the very engines he spent years criticizing during Red Bull’s battles with the Silver Arrows.
There are other hurdles. Horner’s “baggage” includes the internal power struggle at Red Bull, specifically his clashes with Helmut Marko. Marko, who famously demoted Pierre Gasly—now Alpine’s lead driver—without consulting Horner, remains a powerful adversary. If Horner takes the reins at Alpine, the dynamic between him and Gasly will be scrutinized intensely, given their shared, albeit complicated, history under the Red Bull umbrella.
The Verstappen Variable
As Horner plots his return, Verstappen faces his own crossroads. The 2026 regulations bring entirely new cars and, for Red Bull, their first-ever in-house power units. The uncertainty is palpable. Verstappen has already hinted at the complications of the new rules, noting, “It’s going to be very complicated to start with some unknowns.”
Simultaneously, Verstappen is aggressively pursuing his passion for endurance racing, testing GT3 machinery and eyeing the Nürburgring 24 Hours. But the grueling 2026 F1 calendar makes a dual campaign nearly impossible. With his mentor potentially building a rival super-team at Alpine, and Red Bull entering a risky new engine era, the paddock is already whispering the unthinkable: Could Horner eventually lure Verstappen to Alpine?
For now, the focus remains on the boardroom. If Christian Horner succeeds in acquiring the Otro Capital stake, he validates his status as a survivor in a sport that eats its young. He walked away from Red Bull with a fortune, kept the loyalty of the sport’s best driver, and is now poised to buy a team that desperately needs his touch. The 2025 season may be over, but the drama for 2026 has only just begun.
