Christian Horner has officially left Red Bull having reached an agreement to formalise his exit, following the Briton’s sacking as their team principal and F1 CEO back in July.
The 51-year-old was the only F1 team boss that Red Bull had known since their debut on the back of buying Jaguar from Ford before the 2005 season. Yet the team’s declining form and his fight for more power saw Red Bull fire Horner only days after the 2025 British Grand Prix.
But only now has Horner formally left Red Bull after reaching an agreement on his severance package, having been stripped of his operational duties this July due to being under contract through the 2030 F1 season. Red Bull replaced Horner as their F1 boss with Laurent Mekies.
It is said that Red Bull have paid Horner in excess of £80m to leave the Milton Keynes squad, but other reports suggest his pay-off is closer to £52m. Also, it has been alleged that Horner waived £30m in compensation to leave Red Bull to reduce the length of his gardening leave.
Christian Horner is only interested in a return to F1 after finalising his Red Bull exit
Now, BILD has reported further details concerning the Leamington Spa native’s exit from the team he led for 20 years. It notes that Horner negotiated his departure from Red Bull Racing with Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, with ‘no bad blood’ between them.
READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth
| CHRISTIAN HORNER’S RECORD AS RED BULL F1 TEAM PRINCIPAL | |
| Grands Prix entered | 406 |
| Wins | 124 |
| Podiums | 287 |
| Pole positions | 107 |
| Points | 8,009 |
| Drivers’ championships | 8 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) |
| Constructors’ championships | 6 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023) |
Despite the reports citing an £80m pay-off, BILD claims Red Bull have paid Horner just over €50m (£43.5m). It is a saving for the Austrian energy drink brand, as his contract to also lead Red Bull Powertrains and Red Bull Advanced Technologies was worth a net €75m (£65.5m).
Horner accepted a reduced pay-off to formalise his exit from Red Bull as Mintzlaff agreed to end his gardening leave in May 2026. He will then be able to join another F1 team following the first flyaway races, with a possible debut at a rival team at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix.
The length of his gardening leave was a key factor in Horner’s negotiations with Mintzlaff, as he ‘is not interested in other racing series’ and only wants to return to Formula 1 as soon as possible. It is considered ‘only a matter of time’ before Horner takes over another F1 team.
Bernie Ecclestone has told Christian Horner to consider running MotoGP over an F1 return
As part of Horner’s agreement with Mintzlaff to reduce the sacked Red Bull boss’ gardening leave, the Briton will also not return to the Formula 1 paddock through May 2026. But F1 is his only focus, with Horner set to ignore the advice Bernie Ecclestone has now offered him.
According to the Daily Mail, former F1 supremo Ecclestone has privately told Horner that he may be ‘well-advised to go to MotoGP’ and take charge of running the premier class of two-wheel motorsport. F1’s owner, Liberty Media, completed its purchase of MotoGP this July.
But it is now reported that Horner is not interested in anything other than a return to the F1 paddock once his Red Bull gardening leave is over. And it has even been claimed that Horner may be interested in investing in Haas, as an alternative route to his previous links to Alpine.