- Will Buxton urges the F1 community to finally move beyond Christian Horner.
- Former Red Bull chief seeks a return, citing significant unfinished business.
- Speculation links Horner to top teams; Buxton champions fresh leadership.
Will Buxton, the popular motorsport journalist and presenter, has a message for the F1 community related to Christian Horner. He asked the paddock to move on from Horner, giving the people who have long existed in the sport a chance to climb up the ranks and take in the available opportunities.
His comments come amid rumours and speculation about Horner being consistently linked to vacant leadership positions across the many teams.
Before being sacked, Horner was a prominent figure at Red Bull Racing from 2005 to 2025, renowned for his excellent leadership, which helped the team achieve several significant milestones in a short time.
Under his direction, the team won six constructors’ and eight drivers’ titles, four each, won by Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. However, things went downhill in his career after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a Red Bull employee.
A lot of issues also emerged internally and externally, including his fallout with the Verstappens, power struggle drama following the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the exit of prominent talent like Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, performance issues, and the continued impact of allegations.
When Horner was fired mid-season in 2025, the team didn’t state a specific reason. He was replaced by Laurent Mekies as team principal and CEO.
Buxton wants the paddock to move on from Horner
In a conversation at the Up To Speed podcast, Buxton urged the F1 community to stop associating Horner with every other job available across the teams and move on. He believes that new talent should be given opportunities instead of just being focused on a specific individual.
“Let’s give it to some new blood, let’s give it to some people who are coming through the ranks, people like Jonathan Wheatley, who proved themselves for 20 or 30 years and have been given the opportunity. I love to see Alan Permane given the opportunities, I love to see Laurent Mekies getting the opportunities.”
He stressed that often in the sport, people keep going back to the same people, who have served for a long time, which neglects the new talent, who have been working under different roles in the paddock.
” Let’s give it to fresh blood, let’s give opportunities to people who have proved themselves, and deserve to step up and take on the main job,” he mentioned.
Horner and his “unfinished business” in F1
There have been a lot of rumours and speculations around Horner linking him to teams like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Alpine, and Audi for a potential senior leadership position. Horner himself has been looking forward to getting back in the paddock, as he believes there’s still unfinished business.
While he misses the sport and working with talented people, he does have set forward a condition to return, clarifying that he won’t be taking any random opportunity.
He explained at the European Motor Show, “It didn’t finish the way that I would have liked it to finish. But, I am not going to come back for just anything. I am only going to come back for something that can win. I don’t want to go back in the paddock unless I have something to do.”
He revealed that he’s in no hurry and would only sign for the position that aligns with his vision and conditions.
