Aston Martin reportedly turn down Christian Horner proposal

Christian Horner fails to reach agreement with Aston Martin

It has been widely reported that Horner is interested in an F1 comeback. With that said, someone who spent two decades as team principal is unlikely to entertain anything other than a very senior position.

Consistent with this assumption, Horner is said to have approached many teams in recent weeks. However, his wishes reportedly go beyond his previous role of team principal.

According to Japanese outlet as-web.jp, the 51-year-old has assembled an attractive group of sponsors and investors. In his negotiations with Aston Martin, he is reported to have offered sponsorship of over $100 million to the table.

Horner, in return, was pushing for a minority stake in Aston Martin – alongside his other investors. This proposal is understood to have been rejected, with Lawrence Stroll uninterested in these terms.

Considering that Horner is said to have wanted to assume the role of both CEO and team principal, his negotiations were always going to be an uphill battle. This is especially true at Aston Martin, who have already assembled a very accomplished senior leadership team.

During last weekend’s Singapore GP, Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell spoke candidly about talks with Christian Horner:

“It looks as though Christian is ringing up pretty much every team owner at the moment.

“I can clearly say there are no plans for the involvement of Christian, in an operational or investment role in the future,” Cowell clarified.

Doors for an F1 return closed, for now

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu was also questioned about reported talks between the US outfit and Horner. Komatsu quickly clarified that nothing materialised beyond an “exploratory talk” with the former Red Bull boss.

As reported in as-web.jp, most teams are understood to have engaged in some level of talks with the 51-year-old. Until now, nothing of substance appears to have materialised.

It should be noted that Adrian Newey’s agreement to join Aston Martin included a unique incentive. Newey became a shareholder of the team, with his role of ‘Managing Technical Partner’ demonstrating the extent of his influence – and degree of his commitment to the project.

With this in mind, Horner might be after a similar kind of structure in his negotiations. The question is whether teams believe his demands are worth agreeing to. So far, the enthusiasm for the former team principal to take such an encompassing role seems limited.