Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll told the employees ex-Red Bull boss Christian Horner will not be joining the Formula 1 team in any capacity, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
The Canadian billionaire is understood to have told staff at the company’s Silverstone factory on Wednesday that a move for Horner was “absolutely not happening.”
Sources who were present have confirmed to ESPN what was said.
Stroll was speaking at the announcement of the team’s new leadership structure, which saw F1 design legend Adrian Newey — who joined as a shareholder and managing technical partner — made team principal, with existing boss Andy Cowell moving across to an engine-facing role with new suppliers Honda.
The Newey switch came as a surprise and in conjunction with a fresh batch of reports after the Las Vegas Grand Prix that Horner, who was sacked by Red Bull in July, was the one in line to replace Cowell.
Horner recently agreed a settlement with Red Bull which would allow him to return to work in the sport in the middle of 2026.
Sources have told ESPN Horner remains committed to finding a shareholding in one of F1’s teams rather than returning simply in a traditional team boss role, like the one he had at Red Bull.
Horner was ultimately sacked from that job when he lost the support of Red Bull’s major shareholders, a fate he wants to avoid when he finds another role elsewhere.
Horner and Newey worked together for 19 years at Red Bull and helped orchestrate both periods of dominance the team has enjoyed, the first in the early 2010s and the second at the beginning of this decade.
While some reports have suggested an ongoing rift between the pair, sources have told ESPN that is not the case — the pair are understood to have recently attended an Oasis gig together with their wives.
Newey’s team boss role had opened up further questions about whether Aston Martin might still need a CEO to oversee the whole operation — McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team boss Andrea Stella are the best example of that model on the current grid.
Stroll’s comments would suggest that Horner is out of the frame for Aston Martin for the time being, although other ESPN sources closer to Horner have suggested a link-up with Aston Martin is not completely off the table.
Stroll has spent big money on the Aston Martin project in order to make the team championship contenders under the new rules coming into force in 2026, which feature huge changes on the aerodynamic and engine side of the car.
Were Aston Martin to be shut off completely, Alpine would be the most logical other place Horner might be able to buy a shareholding and return.
