Christian Horner formally leaves Red Bull with huge 'eight-figure' payout
Christian Horner has officially left Red Bull after agreeing an exit from the team with a payout believed to be as much as £80 million.
Listen to this article
The former team principal was relieved of “operational duties” by Red Bull GmbH, the energy drinks’ parent company, following July’s British Grand Prix.
His contract, which was due to run until 2030, has now concluded, and the 51-year-old would be free to return to the sport, potentially as soon as next year.
According to reports, after weeks of negotiation, he received an eight-figure sum, but the sum is lower than the £110m settlement that he would have received had his contract been paid out in full.
If his contract had been paid in full, it would have denied him a swift return to the sport.
A Red Bull Racing statement read: “Oracle Red Bull Racing announces today that team principal and CEO Christian Horner will leave the team today.”
Horner oversaw a period of extraordinary success during his 20-year career with the Milton Keynes-based team, winning eight drivers’ and six constructors’ titles.
Horner has been linked with a return to F1 since his removal from Red Bull, with Cadillac – set to join the grid as the 11th team from next season – recently ruling out a move for him.
Horner said: “Leading Red Bull Racing has been an honour and privilege. When we started in 2005, none of us could have imagined the journey ahead – the championships, the races, the people, the memories.
"I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved as a team breaking records and reaching heights no-one would ever believe were possible and I will forever carry that with me.
“However, for me, my biggest satisfaction has been assembling and leading the most amazing group of talented and driven individuals and seeing them flourish as a subsidiary of an energy drinks company and seeing them take on and beat some of the biggest automotive brands in the world.”
The decision to relieve Horner of operational duties in July came 17 months after he was accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.
At last year’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Horner was cleared of wrongdoing following an internal investigation, only for hundreds of WhatsApp messages – appearing to be exchanged between Horner and the complainant – to then be leaked to the F1 world.
Horner, who is married to former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, managed to keep the Red Bull hierarchy onside and fought on. He always denied the claims and was exonerated for a second time of controlling behaviour by an independent KC last August.