Christian Horner might have to forego £110m in earnings to join rival F1 team owing to Red Bull contract ‘agreement’

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The Belgian Grand Prix sees a return to Formula 1 action after a very welcome three-week break for the teams and drivers.

The biggest news over the break after Lando Norris’ win at Silverstone was Red Bull ending Christian Horner’s time as team principal after more than 20 years.

Laurent Mekies has replaced Horner at Red Bull, and the former Racing Bulls chief will be one of the main focuses across the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Mekies will have to face questions about Max Verstappen’s future, the form of Yuki Tsunoda and potentially even Red Bull’s competitiveness for 2026 and beyond.

These are all topics his predecessor faced at every race weekend and dealt with to varying degrees of success.

Despite being relieved of his team principal duties just a few weeks ago, Horner is already being linked with returning to the Formula 1 paddock.

Several teams have been linked with potentially working with the 51-year-old, but his Red Bull contract might make that an expensive agreement to enter into.

READ MORE: All to know about sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Christian Horner would have to ‘forego’ Red Bull compensation to take new Formula 1 job

A report from F1 Insider has shared more details about Horner’s situation at Red Bull.

Red Bull could owe Horner up to £110m, as although he’s no longer team principal and CEO of the Formula 1 team, he’s still contracted to the company.

However, the report suggests that if Horner were to take up a position with another team, he would have to ‘forego his current Red Bull salary’.

For Red Bull, this would be the best case scenario, as they won’t want to pay up to nine figures to Horner if he’s not working for the team.

Horner’s Red Bull ‘agreement’ could make it far more difficult for the likes of Alpine or Cadillac to consider bringing him in.

The report goes on to say that ‘Horner’s new employer would have to pay very well to compensate for the loss of this income,’ which may delay any speedy return to Formula 1.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Which F1 teams could Christian Horner begin working with after Red Bull exit?

Horner’s expertise and success at Red Bull makes him an interesting option for several teams in the paddock.

It’s expected that Horner would like to become a part-owner of a team in a similar situation to Toto Wolff at Mercedes.

Currently, there’s only one option that could potentially fulfil that criteria for Horner.

Alpine may be willing to sell a stake in the team, and Horner’s relationship with Flavio Briatore has been previously well-documented.

Briatore was quick to respond to Horner’s exit, and given the turbulence the Anglo-French team have suffered through in recent years, the arrival of an outside influence with decades of experience could be just what they need.

There have also been suggestions that Cadillac could approach Horner as they look to establish themselves in Formula 1.

Graeme Lowdon is already in place as team principal, and Dan Towriss’ organisation are unlikely to want to sell a part of the team to Horner before they’ve even really got started in F1.

Horner would be ‘more open’ to working for Ferrari than in the past after chairman John Elkann approached him several years ago.

However, he would have a similar problem at the Scuderia as he did with Red Bull; that ultimately, he would never have the level of control that he desires.