Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner has reportedly been linked to BYD, lining up a return to the world of F1 with the Chinese Automotive giant. The Briton was spotted with the BYD Vice President, Stella Li, at Cannes, and is understood to have held a few meetings.
Christian Horner has been linked to multiple F1 teams since he left Red Bull midway through the 2025 season. The reports suggested a keen interest in Alpine’s 24% stake, currently owned by Otro Capital, with Horner leading a consortium of investors to acquire the stake and join Alpine in a leading role.
BYD, on the other hand, has been linked to F1 for months, with reports of the Chinese manufacturer wanting to join F1 as the 12th team on the grid. Reports of BYD wanting to enter motorsports, including F1. BYD Vice President Stella Li came out last month and confirmed meetings with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
At the Cannes festival, Christian Horner was spotted with Stella Li and was reportedly invited to the event as a guest of BYD. The former Red Bull Team Principal was also spotted at the BYD garage during the 2026 Formula E race in Monaco.
BYD has also shown interest in Otro Capital’s share in Alpine, and joined the bid for the same alongside Christian Horner and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. However, the long-term play isn’t to join F1 as a minority stake owner, but to have BYD as the 12th team on the grid.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had previously come and detailed how he’s open to the idea of a Chinese manufacturer joining F1 as the 12th team on the grid.
Having a proven track record at Red Bull in F1, Christian Horner is one of the top personnel currently available for BYD to lead the F1 project.
Christian Horner responds to speculation around MotoGP Team ownership
Christian Horner was spotted in the Honda garage for the 2026 MotoGP Spanish GP. The Briton was spotted having a conversation with Koji Watanabe as he arrived at the race with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Liberty Media acquired Dorna Sports and subsequently MotoGP. Horner was questioned about a potential MotoGP team ownership.
“How do you fancy either owning a team or running your own setup here?” questioned the presenter
“I’ve just come to learn a little bit more while I’ve got some time to explore other forms of motorsports, which I didn’t have time to do previously. So look, I’m liking what I see but there’s always going to be speculation” replied Horner
Guenther Steiner led a consortium of investors to acquire the KTM satellite Tech3 MotoGP team, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton also linked to MotoGP team ownership.
