How likely is it that Horner will be in F1 next year?

Singapore Grand Prix

Live commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; unrecorded matter updates connected BBC Sport website and app

The lights spell connected successful Singapore this play arsenic nan conflict for nan Formula 1 world title resumes connected nan streets of Marina Bay.

Oscar Piastri leads McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by 25 points - a title triumph - earlier nan nighttime race, pinch Red Bull's Max Verstappen 69 points down nan Australian aft his triumph successful Azerbaijan.

McLaren look group to unafraid nan constructors' title successful Singapore, needing only 13 points to wrap up a 2nd consecutive squad title. Even if they don't negociate that, Mercedes request to outscore them by 31 points aliases Ferrari by 35 to forestall them winning it this weekend.

BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

Now that Christian Horner has officially been released by Red Bull Racing, really apt is it that we will spot him successful different F1 squad adjacent season, and would he only judge a domiciled arsenic a main executive serviceman aliases similar? - Matthew

The taxable was covered extensively successful an article past week.

In short, it seems Horner is keen to travel backmost to F1, but that if he does so, he does not want to beryllium 'only' a squad principal. He would want a shareholding successful nan squad and a beardown grade of control.

He wants nan position that his nemesis astatine Mercedes, Toto Wolff, has had since buying into nan squad successful 2013.

Horner was already main executive serviceman of Red Bull Racing arsenic good arsenic squad principal, but he did not person equity, and his desire for power was yet partially to blasted for his undoing.

Where could he go? That's harder to say, and location are imaginable blocks to him successful a batch of places you look.

Alpine? They person conscionable employed a caller personification successful a domiciled that is efficaciously squad principal, managing head Steve Nielsen. And they already person personification supra him successful executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who is successful eventual charge.

Equally, Alpine person Mercedes engines, and it is difficult to ideate Wolff agreeing to proviso his power-units to immoderate squad tally by Horner, fixed nan authorities of their relationship.

Aston Martin person been mentioned successful immoderate reports. They person ambition and wealthiness done squad proprietor Lawrence Stroll.

However, Adrian Newey joined them successful March arsenic managing method partner, pinch a shareholding. And Newey near Red Bull mostly because of Horner - nan allegations levelled against him by a female employee, and Horner's domiciled successful diminishing Newey's publication complete nan erstwhile mates of years.

Would Newey want to activity again pinch Horner successful those circumstances?

Ferrari? Frederic Vasseur has conscionable signed a caller multi-year statement arsenic squad principal, and it's difficult to ideate them making Horner CEO of nan car institution and giving him a important shareholding, particularly fixed really good Ferrari has done since it was listed.

Haas? Does proprietor Gene Haas want to waste a important shareholding? So far, nan reply has been no.

Does he want to alteration his team's philosophy? So far, he has been happy to do F1 connected a mini fund and bargain arsenic galore parts arsenic imaginable from Ferrari. And does he want to walk a batch of money connected Horner's salary?

Williams? They look beautiful contented pinch advancement nether James Vowles. Does proprietor Dorilton request to dilute its shareholding to person Horner connected board?

Fernando Alonso says it will beryllium difficult for him to discontinue adjacent twelvemonth if nan car is uncompetitive. If he wants to transportation on, what are his existent options of getting a championship-winning car extracurricular of Aston Martin and do you spot him staying? - Srinivasan

Alonso will beryllium 45 successful July adjacent year, and his Aston Martin statement runs retired astatine nan extremity of nan 2026 season.

So, location are 2 questions - will he want to transportation connected aft adjacent year, and will immoderate squad want to motion personification who will beryllium 46 nan pursuing season?

There is nary motion truthful acold of Alonso's capacity dropping disconnected pinch age. Unusually, he is down team-mate Lance Stroll successful nan title this season, but that is much to do pinch condition than performance.

That tin beryllium seen from their qualifying grounds - Alonso is 19-1 up connected nan head-to-head crossed each sessions astatine an mean of 0.319secs.

Realistically, though, it's improbable a apical squad would want to motion Alonso, and I'm not convinced he'd want to time off Aston Martin - he believes successful nan task and they person Adrian Newey.

So, if he stays successful F1, 1 would expect it will beryllium pinch Aston Martin.

I person to admit, I don't wholly understand Alonso's logic successful saying what he did successful nan question and reply Aston Martin released past week: "Let's opportunity that if we are competitive, location is much chance that I stop. If we are not competitive, it will beryllium very difficult to springiness up without trying again."

You'd deliberation it mightiness beryllium nan different measurement astir - that if they were competitive, he'd want to support going, and if they weren't, he mightiness conscionable think, 'well, I hung connected for this, it hasn't worked, I mightiness arsenic good stop'.

But doubtless this will travel up successful his media convention connected Thursday successful Singapore.

The improvements astatine Williams person been awesome since James Vowles took charge. However, really acold tin he realistically return nan squad without a immense injection of rate aliases nan finance of a car manufacturer? - Mark

Williams' ambitions are clear - they want to return to their erstwhile position astatine nan apical of F1.

Owner Dorilton has already invested a important magnitude of money successful nan team. That's partially why truthful overmuch advancement has been seen nether James Vowles.

They person put a batch of effort into nan caller regulations that are being introduced adjacent play and opportunity they expect to beryllium adjacent to achieving their ambitions by 2027 aliases 2028. Time will tell.

Max Verstappen's power complete his Red Bull team-mates is ironically reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's complete Jos Verstappen astatine Benetton successful 1994. Was dada Jos' acquisition a cardinal facet successful making Max nan champion he is? - Alexander

Jos Verstappen devoted his life to preparing Max for F1 from nan infinitesimal his ain profession came to an end.

The grade to which he did this has been good documented, and you tin publication astir it successful this article, which was initially published connected nan eve of nan 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max started successful karts from nan property of three, and Jos was a very demanding tutor.

It seems arsenic if Max is nan cleanable operation of quality and nurture. His begetter was an F1 driver. His mother, Sophie Kumpen, was a highly rated go-karter, who raced competitively against galore early F1 drivers. And Max has put successful nan believe necessary.

And still does, let's look it. Last play was a play disconnected from F1. Was Max relaxing? No. He was making his racing debut astatine nan Nurburgring Nordschleife - and winning, proving connected a abstracted level from everyone else. Unsurprising successful a way, fixed who he is. But besides remarkable.

Without nan talent, Verstappen would not beryllium nan driver he is. But nan aforesaid tin beryllium said of nan grade of nurturing involved.

The motorsport triple crown, of winning nan Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and Indy 500 is simply a fabled feat that only Graham Hill has ever achieved. Do you deliberation location is simply a reasonable chance that immoderate driver could complete it wrong nan foreseeable future? - Josh

Only 2 drivers astatine nan infinitesimal are adjacent to being capable to execute nan triple crown. Juan Pablo Montoya has won Monaco and nan Indy 500, but not Le Mans. Fernando Alonso has won Monaco and Le Mans twice, but not nan Indy 500.

Montoya is 50 years aged and has efficaciously retired. The past clip I asked Alonso astir Indy, he did not sound that keen connected going back.

This was successful 2022, admittedly, but he said that he was concerned astir information and had recovered nan cars little satisfying since nan preamble of nan aero screen, IndyCar's type of nan halo head-protection instrumentality successful F1.

"No, it's excessively dangerous," Alonso said. "Also pinch nan aero surface now it is much difficult to follow, it's little fun."

Of course, he mightiness alteration his mind. But for now it looks for illustration Alonso is much apt to return to nan Dakar Rally than Indy aft he leaves F1.

In that context, nan triple crown does not look apt to beryllium achieved for immoderate clip - nan measurement things are these days, it's difficult to spot a driver competing successful F1, IndyCars and Le Mans done their career.

Even nan F1 drivers who opportunity they want to research different categories thin not to sound that keen connected Indy - Verstappen, for example.