Guenther Steiner pours cold water on a Horner–Newey reunion at Aston Martin: “They don’t need Christian right now”
Guenther Steiner doesn’t see a Hollywood reunion on the horizon. The former Haas boss believes Aston Martin has no reason to bring Christian Horner into the fold, despite the headlines around Horner’s reported $100 million settlement to end his 20-year Red Bull run and the obvious intrigue of partnering up again with Adrian Newey.
Speaking after Horner formally severed ties with Red Bull and became free to consider a paddock return from 2026, Steiner’s take was blunt: Aston already has what it needs.
“I don’t think Aston Martin need Christian right now,” he said, before adding his trademark mischief: “I sent my bank details and asked him to send me some of the money he got!”
The suggestion of Horner to Aston has been doing the rounds for months. Newey landed at Silverstone last year, and with Aston’s works partnership with Honda set to kick in for 2026, the ingredients for a heavyweight project are obvious. Horner, meanwhile, has been linked with an ownership-style role more akin to Toto Wolff’s structure at Mercedes than a straight team principal gig. For now, those close to him insist his focus is on family rather than boardrooms.
Steiner doesn’t buy the idea that bolting Horner onto Aston unlocks instant performance—especially if it means stitching back together a relationship he believes contributed to Red Bull’s recent turmoil. “In the last year the problem between Adrian and Christian was one of the reasons why Adrian left Red Bull,” he said. “So bringing Christian back, I don’t think that would work at the moment.”
He also pointed to the soothing of the storm clouds over Milton Keynes since Horner’s exit, with Max Verstappen snapping up back-to-back wins in Italy and Azerbaijan. “Jumping to the conclusion that the two last wins were because Christian left? I respect Laurent, and Laurent is a friend—he’s doing a good job,” Steiner said, nodding to the leadership that has steadied the ship. “With Red Bull, we could see it during the last one-and-a-half years where every race weekend there was drama, and that has gone away.”
Context matters. Red Bull’s form nosedived after Newey’s departure was confirmed ahead of last year’s Miami Grand Prix, with the team losing its iron grip on the Constructors’ Championship in 2024 and spending much of 2025 chasing McLaren’s benchmark. Verstappen’s recent uptick has put some spark back in the title race, but he still trails Oscar Piastri in the championship despite those consecutive victories.
Aston Martin, for their part, don’t look like a team pining for a savior. The Newey hire was the statement. The 2026 Honda alliance is the foundation. Add a stable technical core and a car that’s been trending in the right direction, and Steiner’s assessment rings true: “With the people they have in place, [Aston] are very well set to show what they can do under the new regulations.”
As for whether there’s any residual bad blood between Horner and Newey, don’t expect public fireworks. When Newey turned up at Monaco wearing Aston green, Horner chose humour over heat. “I haven’t seen him in green yet. He looks like a giant bogey! It’s odd seeing him in green,” Horner joked at the time, before adding, “We’ll catch up with him later.”
It all leaves Aston Martin with a simple choice: keep building quietly with Newey and Honda at the centre of the project, or detonate the status quo by adding one of F1’s most forceful operators. Lawrence Stroll is never shy of a big swing, but right now the smart money is on continuity over combustion. As Steiner put it, Aston don’t need Christian Horner. And, for the first time in a long time, Horner doesn’t need to rush back either.
