Although there is still no official confirmation, it seems that Christian Horner will not spend even a year away from the F1 circuits and that next year he will debut with a new team. After a period of great success at Red Bull, it seems that he is close to taking over Cadillac by 2026.
Christian Horner has a new destination
For many days, there were rumors that Christian Horner could be the new leader at Ferrari, but Frédéric Vasseur’s two-year contract renewal has put an end to this paddock rumor. However, the rumors continue to fly in F1 despite the summer break, with Auto Motor und Sport claiming that talks are at an advanced stage and that an agreement between Cadillac Racing and the Briton to lead the new team entering F1 under the new regulations will be announced in the coming days.
A sudden dismissal at Red Bull
It was undoubtedly one of the biggest bombshells of the season. On July 9, the world of F1 was rocked by the dismissal of Christian Horner from Red Bull. After several years of tension within the team, alleged fights with Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko, the departure of Adrian Newey, the management of Checo Pérez after renewing his contract and then firing him, and the sex scandal with a female employee, his collaboration with the Austrian team has come to an end, perhaps at the moment when it was least expected. A change in the team’s ownership may have been the final trigger to end his career.
A career full of successes
Christian Horner perhaps represents better than anyone how it is possible to reach the world of racing with ambition alone. With no education, back in the 1990s, he set out on his own to fulfill his dream of becoming a driver, and managed to secure some sponsorships to be able to drive, but he soon realized that he was not good enough to compete with the best. So he stayed with the team, but as director.
His ambition and determination earned him a certain amount of fame in the world of motor racing, and in 2005, when Red Bull entered the world of F1, he decided to take a chance on the talent he had demonstrated. It was a move that paid off for the energy drink brand, which has been one of the most successful teams of the century, with four world titles for Vettel and another four for Verstappen, plus seven constructors’ titles.
A new destination
Christian Horner left Red Bull with his head held high, thanking the team for all the trust they had placed in him over the past 20 years. He left, but he is a person who lives for racing, and from the outset he has been linked with several teams: the ones that have been mentioned most often are Ferrari (ruled out), Alpine, and Cadillac.
It seems that the latter is the most appealing to Horner because, in a way, it means going back to his roots, with a new team, where he will have to make his way among the greats of F1. There is no doubt that he will have full power to make the decisions he deems appropriate, and there is no doubt that his ambition and knowledge will serve him well in achieving great success with the team in a few years’ time.
2026 is a new era for F1, with new regulations and new expectations, and Christian Horner does not want to miss out. Cadillac, pending official confirmation, will be his next destination, a great opportunity for him to continue demonstrating his ability to rebuild a great team.