Christian Horner would be ‘great asset’ for top F1 teams after Red Bull exit

Jacques Villeneuve believes Christian Horner would make a “great asset” for any top F1 team after the ex-Red Bull team principal officially left the company.

Horner, 51, was relieved of his operational duties in July after 20 years at the team and he officially left the team on Monday, with a payout in the region of £80m.

The details of his severance package mean Horner can also join another F1 team in the first half of the 2026 season. He has been linked with Alpine and Ferrari in the past.

Villeneuve, who won the 1997 F1 world championship with Williams, believes a host of teams should be interested in hiring Horner, given his experience and 14 world championships to his name.

“It is a big severance package,” Villeneuve said. “The good thing is that both parties are now free and don’t have any liabilities and can move on. That is a very good thing.

“Horner was a huge asset for Red Bull for many years, and he would be a great asset for any of the top teams.

“He is a proven winner. I’d be very curious to find out where he went next and in what capacity.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – after two consecutive wins – now trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by just 69 points with seven races to go and Villeneuve believes the Dutchman is a “genius” behind the wheel and can win a fifth straight title this year.

“Yes, Max Verstappen can win the championship, he is only three races away,” Villeneuve said, in association with OLBG. “And that's not as much as people think.

“My only worry is at Singapore [next race]. Even when the Red Bull was an incredible car, for some reason that's never been a good track for them. That’s the kind of track where they have suffered.

“Verstappen is a genius. He’s driving like world champions should. He's driving at that level. If you think about the golden days when you had Prost and Senna and Mansell and Piquet, they were all driving like this. That's the level you want in F1. That's the level you have to show.

“If Max Verstappen wins the championship, it’s definitely his greatest achievement ever. This year is definitely above the rest because they were not supposed to be in the hunt. He is easily the best of this generation without question.”

The next F1 race is the Singapore Grand Prix (3-5 October).