3 possible options for Christian Horner if he parts ways with Red Bull

Red Bull boss Christian Horner's future seems bleak at the moment. The man who led the Austrian team to the most dominant season in F1 history finds himself in a very uncomfortable situation right now as his future hangs in the balance.

It's almost surprising to see how Horner seems to be left to his own accord and seemingly has seen story after story written about him with rumors suggesting one adverse thing or the other. Keeping all of the vagaries of the case to one side, one thing is unmistakable.

Christian Horner has been arguably the standout team principal of the last two decades. His record is something that cannot be dismissed and his style of work has been a huge hit in the sport. In case he loses his position as the team principal of Red Bull Racing, what could be the next possible career step for Horner? Let's take a look.

---

Possible options for Christian Horner if he departs Red Bull

#1 Retire from F1

The gravity of Christian Horner losing his position at Red Bull is probably not clear to many people. Horner losing his position would mean him losing what has been 20 years of work that he's done at Milton Keynes. Would Red Bull struggle with his exit? Yes, it would. But would Horner feel the same?

The psychological impact of losing what you've worked for 20 years is massive and the suddenness with which the whole thing has happened is surely something that Horner would not have anticipated.

To add to this, he's been going at it for the last two decades and has not taken a break. Would this unsolicited break make him think about not taking a break from the sport? He's achieved all that needs to be achieved in F1 and when you think about it, there's not much left for him to do either.

There is a possibility that Horner calls time on his career and moves to something competitively different.

#2 Return to lead another F1 team

In one of the most organic things to do, Christian Horner could make a return to the sport by leading another team. With the manner in which the entire thing has been playing out and the kind of targeting that Christian Horner has faced from the media in the last week, it might not come as a surprise that the man is motivated and wants to come back just to show the world what he's capable of.

It will also not come as a surprise that multiple teams would be writing blank cheques for Christian Horner to have his services in whatever capacity. If Horner is a free agent and not a Red Bull team principal anymore, the offers on the table for him would be plenty and the Brit returning to the paddock in different colors won't come as a surprise.

#3 Move into a role at FOM or the FIA

As we mentioned earlier, Christian Horner has been there and done that in F1 as a team principal. He's built a team from scratch and won 6 constructors' and 7 drivers' championships. When you've already achieved so much in one role and your time comes to an end in that role, the logical thing would be to aspire for a bigger role. That bigger role could be following in the footsteps of former Ferrari legend Jean Todt who went on to become FIA president after his stint with the Italian team.

It could also be what Stefano Domenicali is doing where his next step after leading Ferrari has seen him become the head of Formula 1 management. These two roles are certainly aspirational and something that the Red Bull team boss Christian Horner could be eyeing if he is let go from Milton Keynes.