Former F1 racer tips Christian Horner for surprise Alpine role replacing Flavio Briatore

Former F1 racer Ralf Schumacher has said that Christian Horner is the right person to replace Flavio Briatore as Alpine Team Principal. Horner has been a free agent since Red Bull sacked him in early July.

Flavio Briatore was Team Principal of Alpine for 20 years since its rebranding from Jaguar in 2005. However, the team was in danger since the start of 2024, when a female employee accused Christian Horner of inappropriate behaviour.

Although Horner was cleared after an investigation by Red Bull. The performance drop on track and rumors of Max Verstappen leaving for Mercedes only did damage. Eventually Red Bull Racing throwed Horner under the bus, by replacing him with TP Laurent Mekies.

After the exit, Horner was rumored to join Mercedes and Alpine. However, the former door was shut after Scuderia gave TP Fedric Vasseur a contract renewal.

Ralf Schumacher thinks that Christian Horner could be the right pick for Alpine. The Sky Sports analyst also claimed that Flavio Briatore's time at the French team has come to an end.

"I think the time for figures like Flavio is over. You need technically skilled people at the top, someone like Horner. Flavio could then help as an organizer and networker, as a face to the outside world," Schumacher told BILD.

Tough times for Alpine

Alpine is facing so many issues at the same time, including car performance and driver instability. However, Briatore has helped the side to clinch three cnstructors' title and four drivers' championship in the 90's, he does not come from a technical background which makes Schumacher to think that the Enstone outit could succeed under Christian Horner's guidance.

Horner could find a familiar environment at Alpine, formerly Renault. Red Bull and Renault had a great partnership from 2010 and 2013, when Sebastian Vettel won four drivers' championships. Sadly, the partnership came to an end when Renault engines failed to get the turbo-hybrid era right.

Christian Horner is also in talks with Cadillac, which will enter F1 as the 11th side in 2026.