FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem believes Formula 1 misses Christian Horner as the former Red Bull team boss explores a return to the sport this year.
Horner, 52, is eyeing a route back into the sport after his sacking from Red Bull last summer, following two decades of success leading the outfit as team principal. He won 14 F1 world championships in total.
The British executive has been linked with Alpine – and is part of a consortium which has bid for a minority stake in the team, alongside a pitch from Mercedes – as well as Aston Martin and even the top job at Ferrari.
Ben Sulayem has met with Horner in recent months, most notably at a dinner alongside Horner’s fierce rival Zak Brown, and believes the ex-Red Bull boss will be back in the paddock soon.
Speaking to media in Miami, Ben Sulayem said: “Who can remove Christian Horner’s name from motorsport and Formula 1? You can’t. It was always successful. But success also has enemies, as we know.
“If you ask me, we miss him in this sport and I do. I keep in touch with him. He was good for the team, good for the sport.
“We would welcome him back, and someone like him will always find his way. I always say to him, ‘you talk too much, but you don’t mean anything bad’. He has a clean heart.
“And he wants to come back. As I said, I talk to him regularly, and I feel he will be back. When he comes back, it will be like he went for a vacation.”
Horner is known to be interested in acquiring a stake in any F1 team he joins. As well as Alpine, the 52-year-old has also been linked with Aston Martin, who have endured a horrid start to the 2026 campaign. He also worked alongside Aston’s team principal and F1 design guru Adrian Newey at Red Bull for nearly two decades.
Horner, who led Red Bull to 14 world championships in total, acknowledged at a public event in Dublin in January that he has “unfinished business” in Formula 1. He has also been linked with Ferrari, though a move to Maranello is unlikely given he is keen on owning a stake.
Ben Sulayem added: “When someone like him has that history behind him, you don’t look at his credibility. People will come to him. But also, it has to be both ways, because how do people know that you are interested if you don’t show your interest?
“I don’t give advice. I just give some ideas, but he’s full of knowledge, his record is amazing and I do like him. He’s been a character in the sport.”
Horner, who received a reported £80m payout after leaving Red Bull, can now officially return to the sport as part of the terms of his severance package.
