Aston Martin have been urged to hire Christian Horner as team principal by former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya.
Horner, 51, officially left Red Bull on Monday after receiving a payoff in the region of £80m. He was relieved of his duties as team principal and F1 CEO back in July after 20 successful years at the team.
Horner has been linked with Alpine, based near his home in Oxfordshire and led by his close friend Flavio Briatore, as well as Ferrari in the past. However, Aston Martin last year poached star designer Adrian Newey from Red Bull and have been linked with Max Verstappen. Horner can return to work for an F1 team next year.
Aston have high hopes for 2026, when new engine and chassis regulations are implemented, as insinuated by driver Fernando Alonso this week.
The team, owned by Lawrence Stroll and based at a new HQ in Silverstone, are currently led by ex-Mercedes engine guru Andy Cowell as team principal, who replaced Mike Krack at the start of this season.
Yet Montoya, who won seven races across a six-year career at Williams and McLaren, believes Stroll should eye a move for Horner, who has 14 world championships to his name, and the Colombian backed Aston Martin to be a dominant force in F1 in two years.
“Horner would be a really good addition to that team [Aston Martin],” Montoya said, in association with Jackpot City Casino. “The experience that Christian has managing teams, whether people like him or not or judge him, his success rate managing that Red Bull team cannot be overstated.
“You cannot say it was totally Adrian [Newey] – you still have got to operate the team. There are so many more things going on you need to have a figurehead there to really shine. That is really important. I think it would be really cool if he did join.
“If they get the whole band together, they are going to win everything. I do believe Aston is going to be the team in two years from now that is going to be winning everything.”
Montoya also believes Verstappen will join Aston Martin over Mercedes, should the Dutchman decide to leave Red Bull at the end of next season.
Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, acknowledged this week that next year’s car performance will be critical in deciding the Dutchman’s long-term future in the sport.
“I think next year, if Red Bull doesn’t work, Max will choose between Aston Martin and Mercedes, whoever is more competitive,” he added.
“Realistically, I think the Aston makes a lot more sense – it is familiar territory.”
After two wins in a row, Verstappen now only trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points with seven rounds remaining.
F1 next heads to Singapore on 3-5 October for round 17 of the 2025 season – a venue Verstappen has never triumphed at.
