In a sport where rumors swirl faster than a Formula 1 car through Monaco’s hairpin, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has taken a torch to swirling rumors linking him and former Red Bull boss Christian Horner with a possible buy-in at Alpine.
Not only did the 94-year-old dismiss the idea as outright nonsense, Ecclestone offered a barbed comparison to Lewis Hamilton’s fading championship hopes.
The outlandish rumor, which briefly ignited paddock chatter, emerged in the wake of Horner’s shock exit from Red Bull Racing.
While Red Bull has remained tight-lipped on the exact reasons for the Briton’s firing, the team’s lackluster performance this season and a string of high-profile staff departures are widely believed to have sealed Horner’s fate.
Ecclestone called the move “a bit ruthless,” criticising the manner of Horner’s departure with characteristic candor.
“This is how it was dealt with. I had made it known to our friends there that maybe it was a little bit ruthless, perhaps, to do it in the way they did it, but they didn’t have much choice,” he told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“They decided this is what they were going to do and that’s it. They had to get on and do it.”
Horner’s Future Uncertain, But Alpine Deal? “Utter Nonsense”
As for the wild speculation tying Horner to a potential Alpine investment alongside Ecclestone, Formula 1’s former czar didn’t just dismiss it—he obliterated it.
The idea that he, the architect of modern F1, would partner with Horner to prop up a team floundering in the midfield is as absurd as suggesting a safety car could win a Grand Prix.
“I think there is more chance of Lewis winning his eighth title than that happening,” he said, his words dripping with derision. For good measure, he threw in a backhanded compliment to the seven-time champion.
“I think Lewis has done a fantastic job. He’s still super talented. I think maybe he ought to sort of move over a little bit. It’d be terrible if something happened to him now. That’s what’s bad,” he said.
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As for Horner’s next move, Ecclestone was equally skeptical about a swift return to the F1 paddock.
“I don’t know how and where or whether he wants to. Probably doesn’t want to,” he mused. “Because the position he really wanted at Red Bull was to own part of the team.
“Unless he gets somebody to put the money up to buy a team, I can’t see it happening.”
By that logic, Alpine, mired in mediocrity and grappling with its own internal woes, hardly screams “prime investment opportunity,” making the rumor all the more laughable.
In a sport built on speed, precision, and cutthroat ambition, Ecclestone’s brutal takedown of the Horner-Alpine fantasy serves as a reminder: not every paddock whisper deserves a pit stop.
For now, the idea of this unlikely duo joining forces remains exactly where it belongs—in the realm of ridiculous fiction.
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