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Martin Brundle said Christian Horner has told him he would only make a comeback to the Formula 1 paddock if he could secure a stake in a team. The former Red Bull team principal is planning his next move after he was relieved of his team principal and chief executive in July.

Horner's name dominated conversations at the Singapore Grand Prix. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirmed that initial discussions between the 51-year-old and a team representative had occurred but came to nothing, whilst Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen failed to dismiss rumours connecting him to the Renault-owned team.

The Brit, who oversaw 14 constructors' and drivers' championship victories during his Red Bull tenure, has been ruled out of potential switches to Williams and Aston Martin, however, with bosses James Vowles and Andy Cowell dismissed the chances of Horner joining their respective outfits any time soon.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle has kept in regular contact with Horner since his exit from the F1 paddock. He cast doubt on the former Red Bull chief's chances of building a completely new team from scratch and believes Horner would only consider linking up with an existing outfit if he were to be allowed to take an ownership stake.

Brundle said: "I think the current teams in Formula 1 will be pushing hard, as will other stakeholders, to say they don't want a 12th team in Formula 1 at the moment while they're all jockeying around trying to sort the 2026 regulations out.

"That might be an extra hurdle for Christian. Formula 1 is his life – that's where his skills and experience lie. He made it absolutely clear to me when I spoke to him that he will only come back if he's got a skin in the game, if he's got a share in the team and is building something, rather than being a manager as he was with Red Bull.

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"He couldn't get any shareholding in that. Toto Wolff is a good example of how to do that as a one-third shareholder in the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team. I'm sure there'll be partners, as we like to call them, sponsors we might call them, and other people who might want to join Christian on that journey."

Aston Martin have been suggested as one of the most probable destinations for the 51-year-old. Horner is said to have fixed his relationship with legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey, who departed Red Bull last year during the peak of the team's internal turmoil, removing one obstacle for his potential return to the grid with Lawrence Stroll's outfit.

Nevertheless, when questioned about the likelihood of witnessing Horner in Aston Martin's racing green from 2026 onwards, Cowell clarified his position. "I had a chat with Lawrence this morning to find out what he knows," he revealed following FP1 at the Singapore GP.

"It looks as though Christian is ringing up pretty much every team owner at the moment, so you can pass the question along. And I can clearly say, there are no plans for involvement, either in an operational or investment role in the future."