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Christian Horner could return next year and try to turn another midfield outfit into Formula 1 champions – but only if he is given complete command. That is the view of his former Red Bull colleague Mark Gallagher who was there at the start of the Brit's last transformation job. Horner was just 31 when Red Bull put him in charge of the struggling team they had just bought in late 2004. Over 20 years in charge, he oversaw a transformation which resulted in six constructors' championships and eight drivers' titles. It all came to an end in July when he was axed as team boss and, earlier this week, he agreed an £80million settlement to cancel his contract, which ran until 2030. Crucially, it is understood to also allow him to return to F1 from an unspecified point in the first half of next season. "If Christian returns to F1, I believe it will be with a team willing to either give him control or sell to him in partnership with a group of investors," former Red Bull commercial chief Gallagher told Mirror Sport , via Betway . "The identity of the team is less important than the terms he can secure – whether it's a backmarker or a midfield outfit, Christian will only return to F1 if he has control or ownership. We'll likely need to see how the 2026 season unfolds. One or two things may happen: a manufacturer team might have a disappointing year and begin questioning its car strategy. "If you're in a boardroom trying to fix that, you would inevitably talk about the fact that F1's most successful team principal is sitting on the sidelines. That's one route. Another is that one of the weaker teams decides, sooner rather than later, that a restructure is needed – and, suddenly, Christian finds himself with a viable opportunity. And Gallagher believes there are two teams in particular that would be ideal landing spots for his former colleague. He added: "Sooner or later, the Haas team will need to bring in another partner to grow. Gene Haas has done as much as could be expected of an independent owner, but the team needs a stronger structure to compete with the manufacturers. "The other obvious team is Alpine , which has had a difficult year. The team is about to enter a new season with customer engines and is currently led by Flavio Briatore who, it must be said, isn't getting any younger. Surely, he recognises that the future of Alpine may involve Renault selling part or all of their remaining stake? Christian has a mutual friendship with Bernie Ecclestone , and for me, those are the two most likely routes for his return." Horner's payoff of around £80m is a significantly higher sum than the salary he would have earned between now and the expiry of his Red Bull contract in 2030. But Gallagher believes it is a justified figure, given all the success he oversaw over two decades in charge of the team. He said: "Clearly, when a company decides to part ways with someone who has been there as long as Christian Horner, they accept that they will have to pay what is due. Therefore, it's no surprise that Christian has received a significant payoff. "On the one hand, they've decided to part company, but on the other hand, they've paid him a great deal of money and thanked him for the past two decades. Again, it underlines the fact that this isn't about the team's results – it's to do with a power struggle. Christian, quite deservedly, can look back on his time at Red Bull with a great deal of pride. "He achieved an enormous amount there, and whatever he does in the future, he now has the financial security not just for himself, but for the next generation of Horners. That's only right, given what he has achieved in F1 to date. Everyone is wondering what he does next but, after two decades of hard work, he can now afford to sit back and relax."
