Christian Horner in frame for Aston Martin leadership overhaul

Christian Horner has emerged arsenic a superior contender for a elder enactment relation astatine Aston Martin, arsenic the squad reshapes itself up of Formula 1’s caller rules cycle. The BBC reported that existent squad main Andy Cowell, the erstwhile mastermind of Mercedes’ ascendant hybrid-era engines, is expected to determination distant from day-to-day squad leadership. Sources person told ESPN that helium is apt to oversee Aston Martin’s in-house powerfulness portion project, which volition tally with caller spouse Honda from 2026.

Owner Lawrence Stroll has made nary concealed of his ambition to crook Aston Martin into a championship-winning cognition nether the incoming regulations. He has already committed to a state-of-the-art mill astatine Silverstone and secured plan icon Adrian Newey arsenic method manager and co-owner. The hunt is present connected for a figurehead to knit those pieces together. Horner is connected a shortlist that besides includes erstwhile McLaren brag Andreas Seidl and Sauber/Audi CEO Mattia Binotto, who antecedently ran Ferrari betwixt 2019 and 2023.

Horner precocious agreed a colony with Red Bull, believed to beryllium worthy astir $100 cardinal (£76 million), which frees him to instrumentality to F1 successful aboriginal 2026. ESPN reporting suggests helium does not mean to travel backmost arsenic a elemental squad boss, and would alternatively question a relation that combines sporting power with concern influence.

Reuniting with Newey and the Verstappen factor

A determination to Aston Martin would reunite Horner with Newey, the spouse with whom helium turned Red Bull into a serial rubric victor successful the aboriginal 2010s and again astatine the commencement of the existent era. Although determination was speculation that hostility betwixt the brace contributed to Newey’s exit from Red Bull successful 2023, sources told ESPN that neither antheral would entity to moving unneurotic again.

One imaginable complication is Stroll’s long-standing tendency to lure Max Verstappen if Aston Martin becomes a accordant front-runner nether the caller rules. Horner’s narration with Verstappen’s begetter Jos was notoriously strained successful his last Red Bull years, adjacent if helium and the four-time satellite champion are believed to stay connected bully terms. How that triangle develops could beryllium decisive if Aston genuinely joins F1’s elite.