Haas has revealed that it received an approach from Christian Horner about a potential role at its Formula 1 team.
However, despite some exploratory talks between the former Red Bull boss and a senior member of management close to owner Gene Haas, it was decided that there was no scope for a deal to happen.
Speculation ramped up last week that one of Horner’s options for a hoped-for F1 return in 2026 could be with Haas – as it was suggested he could be slotted in at CEO level.
Haas could potentially have offered Horner the opportunity to get involved in a midfield outfit and look to expand it and take it to the front of the grid.
But the idea of that happening has been swiftly shut down, with Haas’s current team principal Ayao Komatsu explaining in Singapore on Thursday that, despite some initial talks, any idea of a partnership between the team and Horner was not moving forward.
Asked by The Race about the rumours linking Horner with Haas, Komatsu said: “It’s true that he approached us and one of our guys had an exploratory, let's say, talk.
“But that was it. Nothing's going any further. I’ve got nothing more to say on that one.”
While Horner wants to return to F1, it is understood that he wants it to be in a position that brings him overall control of a squad – so it is not just as a team principal that reports into an owner.
The most likely route for Horner to assume this is to be involved in some form of buy-in – whether it’s a partial or total takeover of a squad.
One of the key stumbling blocks for any deal with Haas is the fact that its owner Gene Haas has not shown any interest in selling any part of his shareholding – despite several parties putting the idea to him over the years.
With Haas not a route for Horner, the most likely possibilities remain Alpine or Aston Martin.
One other interesting option has emerged, however, with The Race revealing that Horner has been evaluating the idea of helping set up a 12th F1 team in conjunction with private backers.
