The revelation came from Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu in Singapore, who confirmed that a conversation had taken place following Horner’s sudden departure from Red Bull in July.

Horner, who spent two decades leading Red Bull to six constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles, was removed from his role shortly after the British Grand Prix and has since stayed out of the paddock while negotiating a severance package with Red Bull GmbH.

“It’s true that he approached us and one of our guys had an exploratory, let’s say, talk,” Komatsu said.

“But that was it. Nothing’s going any further. I’ve got nothing more to say on that one.”

Horner’s interest in Haas was interpreted as the first concrete sign of his ambition to return to F1, where he is believed to be seeking a position with significant control rather than a standard team principal role. That would likely require some form of buy-in, either partial or complete, into a team.

However, any tie-up with Haas always faced a major obstacle: team owner Gene Haas has repeatedly rebuffed interest from external investors and is not considered open to selling a stake in the organisation.

With Haas therefore not an option, speculation has turned to other squads that may be more receptive to outside involvement, including Alpine and Aston Martin, while Cadillac’s 2026 entry has also been mentioned as a potential landing spot.

When pressed on whether Horner’s approach hinted at a bigger role than team principal, Komatsu refused to expand further.

“You guys write whatever you want. I’m not fuelling that story,” he said.

Horner is currently serving a period of gardening leave under the terms of his Red Bull exit, believed to be nine months, meaning he would only be free to take up a new position in early 2026.

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