Riccardo Patrese has thrown a log on the autumn rumour fire, and it crackled loudly: Christian Horner and Max Verstappen, reunited at Aston Martin to build a “new Red Bull” in Silverstone.
It’s a provocative thought from a six-time grand prix winner who calls himself a friend of Horner’s. And it arrives just weeks after Horner’s split from Red Bull was finally inked, with multiple reports suggesting a hefty settlement in the region of $100 million and no long-term non-compete to keep him on the sofa. In other words: if Horner wants back in, the door’s open sooner rather than later.
Patrese’s logic leans on F1 history. He sees shades of the great migration that powered Ferrari’s renaissance in the late ’90s: Michael Schumacher leaves Benetton, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne follow, the Scuderia becomes a juggernaut. In his scenario, Aston Martin plays the part of Ferrari; Horner arrives with know-how and gravitational pull; Verstappen, the sport’s dominant force of the last few years, is the crown jewel.
“I can see something similar,” Patrese suggested, noting that top operators tend to plant their flag and bring the right people with them. Translation: assemble the band, write a new dynasty.
There are, of course, realities to navigate. Verstappen’s four titles have all come under Horner’s stewardship, but 2025 hasn’t followed the familiar script. With the 2026 rules reset looming — new chassis, new power units, and a grid-wide retooling — the Verstappen question naturally bubbles up again. If Red Bull’s own engine project doesn’t light up straight away, he’ll have options. And Aston Martin, laden with resources and ambition at its Silverstone campus, would be mad not to ask the question if the stars align.
Patrese even waved away one of the perceived obstacles: the frosty undertone between Horner and Jos Verstappen that coloured the end of Horner’s Red Bull tenure. Time heals, he argued, and winning solves most things. If there’s a pathway that puts Max back in an all-conquering car, why would anyone stand in the way?
It’s worth adding a dose of cool water. Building a “new Red Bull” isn’t a weekend job. It took the original years, the right hires, and a stable, empowered structure. Aston Martin has invested heavily and shown flashes of front-running speed, but the leap from podiums to perma-contender is the hardest one in Formula 1. You don’t just change the badge on the door and inherit Red Bull’s reflexes.
There’s also the matter of fit. Horner has been the defining CEO-style team principal of the modern era — a frontman, politician and performance barometer rolled into one. Aston Martin already has its own way of doing things and a clear power centre. Any courtship would require a careful redraw of roles and egos. Doable? Definitely. Simple? Not remotely.
Still, the notion won’t die quietly because it makes a certain paddock sense. Horner is available. Verstappen’s future will inevitably be re-examined as 2026 approaches. Aston Martin wants a title, not a top-five. And when regulation resets arrive, the brave and the prepared usually eat first.
For now, those close to the situation insist Horner isn’t in active talks and is prioritising family time. But F1 loves a vacuum, and the 2026 countdown promises plenty more plotting. If Patrese’s Schumacher analogy ends up more than a pub story, we’ll be talking about this autumn whisper as the first breadcrumb on a very big trail.
