Stroll shuts door on Horner F1 return - report

Christian Horner’s efforts to secure a new Formula 1 role appear to have hit a wall, with Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll said to have ruled out any future involvement for the former Red Bull chief.

Japanese outlet AS-Web reports that Horner, who left Red Bull earlier this year amid ongoing turmoil, had been in contact with Stroll about taking over team leadership from Andy Cowell or buying into the Silverstone outfit.

Cowell said in Singapore that those talks went nowhere.

"The topic came up in the media session yesterday," Cowell said in Singapore. "I spoke to Lawrence this morning to see what he knows. Apparently Christian has called almost every team owner at this point, so you can pass the question on to them."

"I can unequivocally state that there are absolutely no plans for Christian to be involved in any operational or investment capacity in the future."

Sources within Aston Martin confirmed that Stroll personally contacted senior staff to deny the rumours and reassure them that Horner would not be joining in any role.

According to the Japanese source, Horner had offered a lucrative sponsorship package and a consortium of investors interested in buying a minority stake in Aston Martin - but only if he could assume full control as CEO and team principal, a demand that Stroll rejected outright.

The report claims Horner has also approached shareholders at multiple other F1 teams, including Cadillac, Haas, Audi and Williams, with similar results.