Shortly after the British Grand Prix, Red Bull suddenly announced that team boss Christian Horner had left his position.
The Briton had been the leader of the Milton Keynes-based team for 20 successful years, and the sudden exit sent shockwaves through F1.
Laurent Mekies took over after 18 months in charge of the sister Racing Bulls squad and looks set to lead the team into a new era in 2026 when it will field its own power unit for the first time.
Earlier this week, Red Bull formally announced Horner's departure after agreeing on his exit terms. The Briton will reportedly get about €60 million as well as a gardening leave period of nine months.
Should that be the case, it means Horner could return to work early in 2026, perhaps the most important factor of the deal.
After his Red Bull departure, there was immediate talk of a move to Ferrari, Alpine and Cadillac, among others. However, while there is nothing concrete, Alpine and Cadillac appear to be unlikely options.
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What options for Christian Horner?
A return is not going to be easy for Horner. For years, he attempted to acquire shares at Red Bull, in a similar fashion to Toto Wolff's set-up at Mercedes.
But Horner did not get that luxury at Red Bull, and the money obtained in his exit negotiations is not enough to buy into another team on his own.
In addition, no F1 team currently seems open to a takeover. The noise in recent times surrounding Alpine largely played out due to the departure of CEO Luca de Meo, but his successor, François Prevost has signalled his intent to keep the team in F1 for years to come.
The big question, then, is whether Horner will accept a role without shares. If he insists on becoming co-owner of a team, it seems he will have to wait for an opening.
The 2026 rule changes may offer some relief, as there are many questions surrounding the future of the sport - if one particular team is seeking a leadership change following a slow start to the year, it could leave the door open for a new team boss to take over.
Recent reports in British media also suggested Haas or even a venture into MotoGP could be on the cards for Horner.
But it looks as though a return to the sport for Horner in a co-ownership role will be difficult in the short term.
Not all teams are eager to bring him in and while no one can dispute his track record, it seems that alone is not enough.
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