Riccardo Patrese, the six-time grand prix winner and “friend” of Christian Horner, teased a scenario where Horner and Max Verstappen join forces again, this time at Aston Martin.
Creating what he termed the “new Red Bull” just down the road in Silverstone, Patrese believes that Horner could create a Michael Schumacher-esque impact if he decided to return to Formula 1 with Aston Martin and bring Verstappen along for the ride, as sweeping regulation changes move into view.
Max Verstappen and Christian Horner: A ‘new Red Bull’ at Aston Martin?
The parting of ways between Horner and Red Bull became official last month. PlanetF1.com revealed that Horner and Red Bull reached a settlement agreement, believed to be worth around $100 million for Horner. The compromise agreed could free the 51-year-old to return to Formula 1 before the second half of next year.
Patrese, who described himself as Horner’s “friend”, painted a scene where Horner returns to the sport with Aston Martin, and Max Verstappen joins him. Patrese was getting vibes of when Michael Schumacher swapped Benetton for Ferrari, going on to win five further World Championships, retiring with a new record of seven overall.
All four of Verstappen’s titles thus far were won with Horner at the Red Bull helm, but the streak looks set to end in F1 2025.
The sport enters a new era from 2026, as the chassis and engine regulations undergo major change. Verstappen’s Red Bull future could therefore become a talking point once more, if Red Bull does not make a successful start with their own engine, developed in partnership with Ford.
“The Aston Martin speculation with Christian Horner reminds me of when Michael Schumacher left Benetton and went to Ferrari,” Patrese told a gambling platform.
“He took all the best pieces from Benetton to go to Ferrari to build a winning team and then become a world champion. Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, all these guys that were Benetton with him and he took to Ferrari and then they built a team where he was five times world champion.
“I can see a similar situation happening with Verstappen. They talk for sure. If this is what he thinks it could happen, probably yes, Horner could certainly go there and make a new Red Bull team at Aston Martin!”
In what was a challenging final 18 months for Horner at Red Bull, one of the subplots was a deterioration of his relationship with Max’s father, Jos.
However, Patrese – likening Horner and Jos to a divorced couple – does not believe relations between the duo would be a barrier to this Aston Martin scenario.
“If you divorce a wife, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have constant aggravation,” said Patrese.
“Maybe after two, three, four years, Christian Horner and Jos Verstappen become friends again. And of course, if there is this possibility to build a team that can go for the championship and Max could be the guy that wins again, I think Jos would stay to one side a little bit.
“As a father I should say, forget all my aggravation and let my son go and have the best opportunity.”
PlanetF1.com understands Horner not to be in active discussions to return to the sport, his current focus instead being on family time.
