Singapore, Oct 3 (AP) — In the aftermath of his departure from Red Bull, one of Formula 1's most iconic figures, Christian Horner, is actively pursuing opportunities to reenter the sport. Andy Cowell, Aston Martin's team principal, revealed on Friday that Horner has been in contact with "pretty much every team owner." After parting ways with Red Bull last month after two decades, Horner has been reportedly linked with several teams, including Aston Martin.
Horner, who held dual roles as team principal and chief executive at Red Bull, was removed following a performance slump in July. Despite his illustrious history and leadership in the F1 world, Aston Martin seems unlikely to collaborate with him, either in an operational capacity or as an investor. Cowell stated, "I can clearly say there are no plans for involvement of Christian either in an operational or investment role in the future." Notably, Aston Martin already boasts Adrian Newey, a legendary figure in F1 car design, who contributed to Red Bull's championship successes under Horner.
The U.S.-owned Haas team has also acknowledged communication from Horner. Team principal Ayao Komatsu shared with The Race—a reputable auto racing website—that Horner had an "exploratory" conversation with them, yet it appears that no further actions are being considered at this stage.
Speculation has further connected Horner with Alpine, where his friend Flavio Briatore functions as the executive advisor. Although Alpine’s managing director Steve Nielsen denied any concrete talks with Horner, he didn't completely discount the possibility, noting the unpredictable nature of Formula 1: “As far as I know, no,” Nielsen commented, “but Flavio and Christian are old friends, that's no secret. What they've talked about, I don't know. Everything I see and everything I know, there's no truth in Christian coming to Alpine, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. This is Formula 1, after all.”
Elsewhere, other teams are distancing themselves from Horner amid the turbulent conclusion to his Red Bull era. Cadillac, a new entrant to the F1 grid for next season, firmly denied any rumors about working with him back in August. Moreover, James Vowles, the team principal of Williams, confirmed that they haven’t had any engagement with Horner either. Vowles mentioned, “I think you should always welcome a conversation and there's no point closing the door,” but emphasized, “I think we're very happy with the structure we have and it's working, so I don't see any reason to make any changes to that.”
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