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Christian Horner is in talks to buy a significant stake in the Renault-owned Alpine Formula 1 team, boss Flavio Briatore has confirmed. The former Red Bull chief, axed last year with an £80million pay-off, wants to return to the paddock but cannot do so until later this year, per the conditions of his exit which required him to observe a period of gardening leave.

Horner has been lining up investors for a consortium and Alpine boss Briatore has confirmed the Brit is targeting investment firm Otro Capital's 24 percent stake. Speaking at Alpine's season launch on board MSC World Europa, docked in Barcelona, the Italian said: "First you need to buy Otro and, after, Renault need to accept the buyer. But there's no link with me, because he's negotiating with Otro, he's not negotiating with us."

Horner is known to want full control of a team if he is to return to F1, which would clash with Briatore's similar desire for power. They are good friends, though, and when asked if he felt Horner would be a good addition, the Italian added: "I think everybody is a good asset to the team, depending on what position you put people."

Briatore himself returned for his third stint with the Enstone team two years ago, and is now de facto team principal, despite his official title still being that of an adviser, having assumed full charge when Oliver Oakes resigned last May. Featuring a string of supermodel exes, a previous ban from F1 and a past life as a fugitive from the law, the Italian's story is as colourful as his trademark sunglasses.

But Briatore has also enjoyed extraordinary success, overseeing four world championship wins - two each with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso - in previous stints in charge of F1's Enstone-based team. Now, aged 75, he is back and adamant that the Alpine name can relive its past glories as Benetton and Renault.

After Friday's season launch on an MSC Cruises ship in Barcelona, he told gathered reporters including Express Sport: "Everyone laughed, and we won with Benetton. They laughed again with Renault, and we won. And now, maybe we'll win again, and everyone will laugh again.

"We have everything we need to be successful, without a doubt. I don't want to come here and say we're going to win the championship, because first we have to establish the team in the top three, four, or five positions, and then next year we have to make another move, which is to fight for the championship."

The task ahead is a significant one. His team is the one that finished rock bottom of the championship last year with 22 points scored. There was significant mitigation: Alpine made it clear they would not develop their 2025 car at all, focusing solely on the new regulations starting this year.

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But this is F1's most chaotic team. Briatore, despite officially being an adviser to the Renault board, is de facto team principal - Alpine;'s fourth since 2023. Other key positions have seen similarly high levels of turnover, including drivers and technical staff. Yet, Briatore's belief that he can deliver is unshakeable.

He believes the Mercedes engines that Renault ditched their own programme for will power them up the grid. He believes in technical director David Sanchez, signed after he left McLaren following only a three-month stint, who has led development of their 2026 car. He believes lead driver Pierre Gasly can be one of the best in F1, and that struggling team-mate Franco Colapinto will come good. Most of all, he believes in himself.

He confidently said: "I promise everyone that this season will be fantastic. I really believe we are competitive. Already this year, we will do better than last year - this is sure. We have two good drivers. We have a good car. We have a super sponsor. All together, we expect [to be] successful."