Christian Horner receives £33.5m payout after leaving Red Bull
Christian Horner, former Formula One team principal at Red Bull Racing and husband of ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has received a £33.5million payout from the team following his departure. Disclosed in Red Bull Racing's 2025 accounts as "compensation for loss of office," this settlement comes weeks after the woman who accused Horner of coercive behaviour was dismissed from her motorsport position. The substantial payment raises questions about how the allegations were ultimately resolved.
Horner, 52, quit his position amid a texting scandal with a teammate, with his total compensation package—including £4.4million in salary—reaching £38million, approximately £729,000 per week. Though he was cleared twice in internal Red Bull investigations, supposedly intimate text exchanges between Horner and the female executive were circulated in an explosive email sent to Formula One figures before the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Throughout the controversy, Halliwell, 54, has publicly supported her husband, and the couple, with three children, continue to divide their time between homes in Oxfordshire and London.
- £33.5million payout to Horner from Red Bull after texting scandal departure.
- Woman who accused him was also dismissed from motorsport position.
- Horner twice cleared in internal investigations but controversy remains.
New here? Start with this
Christian Horner was the team principal at Red Bull Racing, one of Formula One's most successful teams. He is married to Geri Halliwell, a former member of the Spice Girls. He held the position for over a decade before recently stepping down.
In 2024, a female executive at Red Bull made allegations of coercive behaviour against Horner, and explicit text messages allegedly exchanged between them were circulated to Formula One figures before the Bahrain Grand Prix. The situation created considerable controversy within the team and the sport more broadly.
An internal investigation by Red Bull concluded that Horner had not engaged in misconduct, and the female executive who made the allegations was subsequently removed from her motorsport position. Horner has since departed from the team following these events.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Horner was cleared in two internal investigations, suggesting the allegations did not result in misconduct findings. Senior executives are typically entitled to severance reflecting contractual entitlements and length of service; the substantial amount reflects his seniority. Transparent disclosure in corporate accounts evidences proper governance.
The case against
The substantial payout raises questions about whether it enabled a quiet departure following serious allegations rather than genuine resolution of the dispute. The accuser's subsequent dismissal from her position, whilst Horner received £33.5m, suggests an outcome that disproportionately favoured the wealthier party. This raises concerns about whether power and resources, rather than merit, determined the resolution.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Red Bull pays Geri Halliwell’s husband Christian Horner £33.5million in compensation for ‘loss of office’ after texting scandal”.