Will Horner pop up in the Formula 1 paddock ever again?

Speaking to Lottoland, former Haas F1 team principal Steiner couldn’t resist a cheeky jab at Horner's substantial payout after two decades of service: “I sent my bank details and asked him to send me some of the money he got!”

But Steiner’s view quickly turned serious. He dismissed claims that Red Bull’s recent resurgence was directly linked to Horner’s departure, saying: “Jumping to the conclusion that the two last wins were because Christian left, I mean, I respect Laurent, and Laurent is a friend, he’s doing a good job.”

Steiner added: “I don’t think Aston Martin need Christian right now. I think there was a lot of unhappiness internally, and something had to change. The change was Christian leaving, and they are just trying to go back to their glory days now.”

Steiner believes Horner’s turbulent final year at Red Bull, including the breakdown of his relationship with technical mastermind Adrian Newey, has left too much baggage for a quick return: “In the last year, the problem between Adrian and Christian was one of the reasons why Adrian left Red Bull.

"So, bringing Christian back, I don’t think that would work at the moment. With Red Bull, we could see it during the last one-and-a-half years, where every race weekend there was drama, and that has gone away," added Steiner.

"I think Aston Martin, with the people they have in place, are very well set to show what they can do under the new regulations," ventured Steiner, referring to the Dream Team that Lawrence Stroll is building at the AMR HQ at Silverstone, powered by Honda next year.

History shows that Steiner and Horner first crossed paths in 2005, when Red Bull bought Jaguar Racing and rebranded it as Red Bull Racing. Steiner, who had worked at Jaguar in the early 2000s, returned as Technical Operations Director, while Horner, aged 31, became Team Principal.

The pair worked together during Red Bull’s rebuilding phase, laying the groundwork for the team’s future dominance. However, when Adrian Newey joined in late 2005, the technical structure was reshuffled, and Steiner was reassigned to head Red Bull’s NASCAR project in the United States in 2006.

Horner later described that move as an “obvious decision” once Newey arrived. Their time together was brief but marked the foundation of Red Bull’s modern F1 success. While Horner went on to become one of the longest-serving team principals in F1 history, Steiner’s path led to Haas and his own rise as a Netflix-era F1 personality.

As soon as Horner’s Red Bull settlement was finalised, rumours began swirling that Ferrari chairman John Elkann was keen to lure him to Maranello. Elkann, reportedly a long-time admirer of Horner’s leadership style, would “gladly swap him for Fred Vasseur”, according to Italian media reports.

Ferrari’s 2025 season has been underwhelming, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggling to mount any challenge for victories. The team continues to trail McLaren and Red Bull, and the pressure on Vasseur has been mounting.

However, not everyone believes Horner’s return to team management is likely. Former F1 driver and German TV pundit Christian Danner told BBC: “Honestly, I don’t believe he’ll return as team principal. It’s always possible in Formula 1 that he could be placed in a higher position, perhaps as CEO of the company. But whether that’s a smart move, I don’t know.”

Even within Ferrari, the speculation has become a distraction. Asked if there was any truth to the talk of Horner joining Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton shut it down: “I don’t and I’m not going to entertain rumours. It is a little bit distracting for us as a team. The team have made it clear where they stand in terms of re-signing Fred. Fred and the whole team are working really hard on a future for the team.”

For now, Horner remains absent from the paddock, but his name refuses to fade from the headlines. Whether he resurfaces as a CEO, consultant, or powerbroker elsewhere, one thing is certain — Christian Horner’s shadow still looms large over Formula 1.