📂 Categoría: Motorsport,Formula 1 | 📅 Fecha: 1781348935
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Former Head of Operations at Red Bull Racing, Richard Hopkins, claims Christian Horner wants to return to Formula 1, but only if he has equity in a team.
The ex-team principal has been looking for a comeback into the sport after being sacked by Red Bull at last season’s British Grand Prix.
He reportedly left with a settlement of roughly $100million (£75m) and is now free to return to the paddock.
Alpine, who are part of the Renault group, confirmed earlier this year that the 52-year-old was among a group of investors who wanted to acquire a share in the company.
However, the CEO of the Renault Group, Francois Provost, revealed that there are currently ‘no discussions’ ongoing with Horner.
Hopkins, who worked with him from 2013 to 2015, has stated his former colleague would not re-enter the paddock to be just a team principal.
On behalf of OLBG, talkSPORT spoke exclusively to Hopkins and he said: “I think he’ll be back. He’s just trying to look for the right opportunity. One thing Christian doesn’t want to do is go to another team in the same or a similar role that he had at Red Bull.
“He wants equity in a team. That’s something he was trying to do at Red Bull, is to buy into the team. So I think he’s trying to find the right opportunity, whether that be with the new BYD team.
“There are some shares on the market at the moment. So I definitely think he’ll be back. I think he’s got a lot of unfinished business.
“He wants to have some ownership in the team. And obviously, we’ve only got 11 Formula 1 teams in the world. That’s hard to come by. So I think he’s just biding his time. But yeah, he’ll be back for sure.”
It’s been hinted that Horner has been in talks with the Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD, who are interested in making their own team, and have already held talks with the Head of F1 Stefano Domenicali.
The ex-team principal was also photographed attending the company’s evening event in Cannes.
Hopkins added: “Who knows [if he will go to Alpine]?
“You look through all the teams and you think, well, it won’t be McLaren. It will never be McLaren. Will it be Mercedes? No, it will never be Mercedes.
“So if you go through each team systematically, you run into very few options, to be perfectly honest. Maybe Alpine is one. Maybe you might consider Aston Martin being another one.
“Aston Martin is struggling at the moment. I don’t doubt that Lance Stroll is waking up every day, having a bit of a question about what his role is within the team. And something could come of that in the future.
“But I think that one’s fairly unlikely too. But I think Alpine seems to be the most likely bet for him at the moment.”
Alpine finished bottom of the championship last season, however, things have flipped around as they currently sit fifth in the constructors standings.
Pierre Gasly even celebrated a surprise Monaco podium after the FIA overturned his penalty almost a week after the race ended.
They will be rebranded as the Gucci Racing Alpine Formula 1 Team as early as next week.
It would send shockwaves if Horner joined McLaren or Mercedes after a history of animosity with his rival bosses.
Especially after his and Toto Wolff’s extensive history of clashing heads.
Former Head of Operations at Red Bull Racing, Richard Hopkins, claims Christian Horner wants to return to Formula 1, but only if he has equity in a team.
The ex-team principal has been looking for a comeback into the sport after being sacked by Red Bull at last season’s British Grand Prix.
He reportedly left with a settlement of roughly $100million (£75m) and is now free to return to the paddock.
Alpine, who are part of the Renault group, confirmed earlier this year that the 52-year-old was among a group of investors who wanted to acquire a share in the company.
However, the CEO of the Renault Group, Francois Provost, revealed that there are currently ‘no discussions’ ongoing with Horner.
Hopkins, who worked with him from 2013 to 2015, has stated his former colleague would not re-enter the paddock to be just a team principal.
On behalf of OLBG, talkSPORT spoke exclusively to Hopkins and he said: “I think he’ll be back. He’s just trying to look for the right opportunity. One thing Christian doesn’t want to do is go to another team in the same or a similar role that he had at Red Bull.
“He wants equity in a team. That’s something he was trying to do at Red Bull, is to buy into the team. So I think he’s trying to find the right opportunity, whether that be with the new BYD team.
“There are some shares on the market at the moment. So I definitely think he’ll be back. I think he’s got a lot of unfinished business.
“He wants to have some ownership in the team. And obviously, we’ve only got 11 Formula 1 teams in the world. That’s hard to come by. So I think he’s just biding his time. But yeah, he’ll be back for sure.”
It’s been hinted that Horner has been in talks with the Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD, who are interested in making their own team, and have already held talks with the Head of F1 Stefano Domenicali.
The ex-team principal was also photographed attending the company’s evening event in Cannes.
Hopkins added: “Who knows [if he will go to Alpine]?
“You look through all the teams and you think, well, it won’t be McLaren. It will never be McLaren. Will it be Mercedes? No, it will never be Mercedes.
“So if you go through each team systematically, you run into very few options, to be perfectly honest. Maybe Alpine is one. Maybe you might consider Aston Martin being another one.
“Aston Martin is struggling at the moment. I don’t doubt that Lance Stroll is waking up every day, having a bit of a question about what his role is within the team. And something could come of that in the future.
“But I think that one’s fairly unlikely too. But I think Alpine seems to be the most likely bet for him at the moment.”
Alpine finished bottom of the championship last season, however, things have flipped around as they currently sit fifth in the constructors standings.
Pierre Gasly even celebrated a surprise Monaco podium after the FIA overturned his penalty almost a week after the race ended.
They will be rebranded as the Gucci Racing Alpine Formula 1 Team as early as next week.
It would send shockwaves if Horner joined McLaren or Mercedes after a history of animosity with his rival bosses.
Especially after his and Toto Wolff’s extensive history of clashing heads.
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- Este artículo cubre aspectos importantes sobre Motorsport,Formula 1
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📚 Información de la Fuente
| 📰 Publicación: | talksport.com |
| ✍️ Autor: | Amy Hamerslagh |
| 📅 Fecha Original: | 2026-06-13 10:51:00 |
| 🔗 Enlace: | Ver artículo original |
Nota de transparencia: Este artículo ha sido traducido y adaptado del inglés al español para facilitar su comprensión. El contenido se mantiene fiel a la fuente original, disponible en el enlace proporcionado arriba.
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