Red Bull Racing paid Christian Horner £33.5m in compensation for loss of office after his departure as team principal and chief executive of the Formula One team, according to accounts filed this week at Companies House.
The payment is disclosed in the Milton Keynes team’s accounts for 2025, where it is recorded as “compensation for loss of office”.
Horner, 52, was also paid £4.4m in salary before he left, taking the total he received to about £38m. This equates to the equivalent of £729,000 a week.
Horner left his post in July 2025. Red Bull announced on 9 July that year that Laurent Mekies would take over with immediate effect, moving from the same role at sister team Racing Bulls, as Business Matters reported at the time.
We reported in July 2025 that he had been dismissed, and that Red Bull gave no specific reason for the change.
Oliver Mintzlaff of Red Bull said in a statement at the time: “We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.”
Companies House records show that Horner’s appointment as a director of Red Bull Racing Limited was terminated on 13 August 2025. Mekies was appointed a director of the company on 28 August 2025, the same records show.
Between 2005 and 2025 Horner led the team to eight drivers’ championships, six constructors’ titles and 124 race victories, Business Matters has previously reported.
Allegations and investigations
Horner was accused of controlling behaviour towards a female employee. He has always denied the claims and was twice cleared of any impropriety in internal investigations at Red Bull, the Daily Mail reported.
In February 2024 a Red Bull spokesperson said: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.”
Text exchanges said to be between Horner and the employee were made public in an email sent to Formula One figures before the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The woman, whose identity cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, has since parted company with a subsequent employer in motor racing. It reported in August that she left that role ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, and said it understood her position was terminated after her new boss lost confidence in her “for a lack of discretion”.
We reported on 30 May that he had been appointed a sports investments adviser by Oakley Capital, the London private equity firm founded by Peter Dubens.
Dubens said at the time: “Christian Horner is widely recognised as a highly successful leader in global sport.”
Oakley’s sports investments include GB1, the America’s Cup team formerly known as Athena Racing, the padel racket brand NOX, Vice Golf and North Sails.
Horner is married to Geri Halliwell, 54, the former Spice Girls singer, who has publicly stood by him since the news broke. The couple have three children and divide their time between homes in Oxfordshire and London.
