Christian Horner has been tipped to join an F1 backmarker team rather than Ferrari following his shock dismissal by Red Bull after 20 years in charge of the team

A jaw-dropping rumour has sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 paddock with Christian Horner being linked with a rival team. Christian Horner is jobless for the first time since 2004 after his brutal Red Bull sacking last week. The 51-year-old is now on gardening leave for the rest of the year and will be weighing up his options from January 2026.

By sacking Christian Horner, Red Bull has made a big change to try to return to F1 winning ways. But there are other steps it must take, too