Christian Horner leaves F1 headache behind with lavish summer holiday

Christian Horner has been spotted out and about for the first time since being removed from his posts at Red Bull.

The former Red Bull CEO and team principal has kept a low profile ever since news of the shock decision to remove him, made by Red Bull GmbH, but has been spotted on holiday with his family in Croatia.

Christian Horner holidays on the Adriatic

Horner’s last public appearance was at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with the British executive receiving his marching orders from his position just two days later as Red Bull Racing’s parent company opted for change by slotting Laurent Mekies into Horner’s roles as CEO and team boss.

Upon receiving the news, Horner bid farewell to the employees at Milton Keynes with an emotional speech before departing, and he has kept his head low ever since.

His social media has offered some clues as to what he’s been doing over the past six weeks, with Horner attending an Oasis concert at Wembley during the British band’s comeback tour, while this week, he shared images of sunsets from the bow of a boat.

While Horner himself shared no details of where he might be, an eagle-eyed photographer in Croatia spotted Horner’s wife, Geri Horner of the Spice Girls, on board the £10.5 million Sunseeker yacht Majic.

While the resulting photos focused on the 90’s popstar, the selection of images shared on Croatia’s 24Sata.hr news website shows Horner holidaying with family and friends, with the publication asserting that Horner is visiting the Croatian peninsula of Peljesac, near Dubrovnik.

Horner’s holiday comes just days after documents lodged with the UK’s Companies House confirmed his termination as a director of the various Red Bull companies that had been under his control, as first reported by PlanetF1.com. Replacing him as director of the F1 team is not his direct replacement, Laurent Mekies, but Red Bull GmbH’s head of HR, Stefan Salzer.

While Horner has been terminated as a director, it’s unclear whether or not he remains an employee of Red Bull, having been made non-operational. If he remains an employee, then Horner – as one of Red Bull’s three highest-paid employees across the reporting group for the purposes of the F1 budget cap – could still have a sizeable impact on Red Bull’s financial budgeting for the F1 2025 season.

PlanetF1.com has approached Red Bull GmbH for clarification on whether Horner is still an employee, following confirmation of his termination as a director.

Following the slew of fresh paperwork lodged with Companies House, here are the new directorship structures across the Red Bull companies.

• Red Bull Technology Ltd. (Holding company): Stefan Salzer and Alistair Rew.
• Red Bull Racing: Helmut Marko and Stefan Salzer.
• Red Bull Powertrains: Helmut Marko and Alistair Rew.
• Red Bull Advanced Technologies: Helmut Marko and Alistair Rew.
• Red Bull Advanced Services: Helmut Marko and Alistair Rew.

Horner, if a quick split entirely from Red Bull is negotiated, he is likely to spend at least a few months on the sidelines, with a six-month gardening leave period almost certain, at minimum.

Where he ends up next within F1, if Horner does desire a return, isn’t clear. While he was recently linked with Ferrari’s team principal role, the Scuderia has since renewed Frederic Vasseur’s contract, while sources have indicated that a move to lead Graeme Lowdon’s Cadillac squad, which has been rumoured elsewhere, is not on the table.

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