24/08/2025 14:45
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested Red Bull could
have blocked Christian Horner's route back to the sport following
his dismissal from the team. Red Bull confirmed last month that
Horner had left his role as team principal following 20 years in
charge. As he was still under contract, Horner entered negotiations
with Red Bull to discuss the terms of his termination, the details
of which have not been disclosed. The Briton, who is one of the
most successful F1 team principals in the sport's history, is now
believed to be serving a period of gardening leave which prevents
him from immediately linking up with a rival team. Speaking on the
MontoyAS podcast, Montoya suggested that the period could extend
for the rest of his working career. "If Christian has the chance,
he'll come back," he said. "Whether he wants to or not, we don't
know. "With everything that happened and the payout Red Bull must
have given him, he's financially set. "Maybe part of the deal was
that he can't work in F1 again? That's the only thing that would
stop him." However, should Horner have the opportunity to return to
F1, Montoya does not see the 51-year-old having trouble finding a
new role. "But if I were running a team like Aston Martin,
Cadillac, Alpine, Haas, I'd hire him in two seconds."
