Christian Horner could be in line for a pay-off worth in excess of £50 million from Red Bull following his shock dismissal on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old was “released from his operational duties” after 20 years at the helm of the Milton Keynes-based team, although he remains an employee for the time being while lawyers thrash out the terms of his settlement.
Horner’s contract is believed to run for another five-and-a-half years, until the end of 2030. The latest accounts for Red Bull Technology Ltd show the remuneration for its highest-paid director, understood to be Horner, rose from £8.04 million in 2022 to £8.92 million in 2023. That was an 11 per cent rise and cemented his status as the highest-paid team principal on the grid. But it is a salary that is almost certain to have risen again since then, with the team having won the drivers’ title in 2024.
During Horner’s time in charge, Red Bull have won eight drivers’ world championships, six constructors’ titles and 124 races, and in 2023 the team came within one race of winning every grand prix in a single season.
If his lawyers push for his contract to be paid up in full, they could be looking at anywhere up to £60 million. And there may be other income streams or bonuses which would have been paid had Horner remained in position.
Horner was responsible for bringing in many of the team’s partnerships across both Red Bull and sister team Racing Bulls.
Red Bull’s lawyers will push back, arguing he is likely to find work in the interim. Horner will almost certainly be in demand from teams given his track record. Although he was damaged by the “𝓈ℯ𝓍ting” scandal that erupted last year, he has been cleared by two investigations after he was accused by a female employee of coercive behaviour, which he has always denied.
Where could Horner return?
You could make a case for any number of teams to approach him. From Alpine, who are run by Flavio Briatore, with whom Horner enjoys a good relationship, to Aston Martin, whose owner Lawrence Stroll is fiercely ambitious and desperate to put his team at the front of the grid, to Ferrari, who have been linked with Horner in the past and whose current team principal Fred Vasseur is the subject of fierce scrutiny in Italy.
He is unlikely to be able to speak to any of them for a long while, pending the terms of his settlement, the value of which is yet to be determined.
No reason was given by Red Bull for his sacking on Wednesday, but it appears Horner lost out in a power struggle with Red Bull’s parent company in Austria, who want more control of the team, as well as with Jos Verstappen, the father of his star driver, the four-time world champion Max.
Horner is believed to have had a strained relationship with Jos Verstappen (right) the father of Red Bull’s four-time champion Max – Getty Images/Clive Rose
Faced with the prospect of losing Verstappen to a rival, and with the team currently enduring a leaner spell on track and a poisonous atmosphere off it, Red Bull’s overlords acted.
Despite last year’s two investigations, there is no suggestion that Horner lost his job on misconduct grounds, which could affect any settlement figure. The team have been fulsome in their praise of Horner on social media, while Oliver Mintzlaff, a CEO at Red Bull GmbH, also released a glowing statement in the wake of Wednesday’s bombshell.
“We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years,” Mintzlaff said. “With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula One. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”
On Thursday, Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, and another man with whom Horner has had a strained relationship over the last 18 months, released his own statement.
“Christian and I have worked together very successfully for over 20 years – both in Formula One and in Formula 3000,” Marko said. “I would like to sincerely thank Christian for that. During this time, we were able to celebrate an incredible number of outstanding achievements. We helped develop two world drivers’ champions and several grand prix winners. That has always been – and still is – the Red Bull way.
“As for the current sporting situation: there are still 12 races to go, and we will continue to fight for the drivers’ championship as long as it’s mathematically possible.”
Horner’s replacement, Laurent Mekies, met with Red Bull mechanics on Thursday during a filming day at Silverstone that the team had already scheduled before the sudden exit of their former team principal.
Laurent Mekies (right) meets members of the Red Bull team at Silverstone – Getty Images/Mark Thompson
Mekies, who has assumed the role of CEO and team principal of Red Bull Racing, hailed the success of the team and stressed that they would all have a role to play in getting back to the front of the grid. It followed an address from Mintzlaff who was also at Silverstone.
“I look at this team as most outside look at them, we see the very best people in the world at what they do,” Mekies said. “That’s what this team is, even from being a competitor previously you look at Red Bull Racing as being the sharpest team, having managed to accumulate the best talent to work together.
“It is a privilege to join the team and the focus will be on making sure all the talented people here have what they need to perform at their best, because they are already the very best. We will be focusing on that and making sure the Red Bull energy is flowing through the team. We are not underestimating the challenge ahead, we will need everybody and we will go about it together and I am sure with everyone’s contributions we will tackle this challenge.”