Christian Horner: Where does ex-Red Bull boss make his money?
The Asterisk examines where Christian Horner’s wealth comes from in his post-F1 chapter.
For the first time in Red Bull Racing’s history, Christian Horner will be missing from the Formula One paddock as team principal.
Days after the British Grand Prix, the 51-year-old was sacked by the Austrian outfit in a sensational move that shocked the motorsport community.
Although Horner will no longer be seen with a microphone on Red Bull’s pit wall during race weekends, he continues to serve as a director of the Formula One racing team.
In his farewell message at Milton Keynes, the headquarters of Red Bull, Horner reportedly said that he would remain on the team’s payroll.
“I will still remain employed by the company, but operationally, the baton will be handed over,” he said.
Horner is also a director of Red Bull Technology Limited, the parent company of the six-time constructors’ champions. The company oversees the team’s design, manufacture, and management of Formula One activities.
Red Bull earns you bills
Having spent two decades with the Austrian racing outfit, building the team from scratch, the energy drinks company has fuelled Horner’s bank accounts, becoming his predominant source of income.
Before his dismissal as team principal, Horner had been contracted with Red Bull until 2030 and earned a salary of £12 million a year, according to The Times.
Horner was also one of the highest-paid team principals.
At Red Bull Technology Limited, remuneration for directors increased from £8.7 million to £9.6 million in 2023.
The highest-paid director, believed to be Horner, received £8.9 million, an 11% increase from 2022.
Not just bulls - horses too
Horner didn’t only bet on the bulls - he has horses too.
In June 2021, Horner set up a horse racing firm, OMBI Limited, along with his wife and Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell. The firm’s office is registered on New Fetter Lane, London, and the equine facility is located in Marston St. Lawrence, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, where the Horners’ own a £9.2 million mansion.
Both Christian and Geri are directors and the sole employees of the firm.
Horner told The Telegraph he viewed the sport as “a bit of escapism away from the madness of F1.”
“We don’t really know what we’re doing, but it’s exciting. It’s something Geri and I both get a kick out of and something we enjoy as a family,” he said.
The company saw a significant rise in profits, growing threefold from 2022 to 2023.
OMBI’s fixed assets also tripled in value, from £305,934 in 2022 to nearly £1 million in 2023.
The Horners’ own four horses along with multiple farm animals. The animals are valued at £259,523, according to Companies House documents, with the horses representing a substantial portion of the value.
This year, the Horners’ competed at the Cheltenham Festival, a famous horse racing competition, finishing 13th in the Hunters’ Chase event.
Overall, the Horners’ have made £11,074 in prize money earnings.
But owning a horse isn’t cheap, it can cost upwards of £20,000 annually to maintain a racehorse, a fraction of what it takes to build a Formula One car (£20 million).
The Horners’ are looking to expand their interest in the domain and have built new stables for 14 horses, according to Oxford Mail. The West Northamptonshire Council recently gave the former F1 boss a planning boost to enhance his stables.
Stepping into the real estate world
The couple also established a property letting and management company in November 2021 called Estelle Ward Limited, Estelle being Geri’s middle name.
The firm follows a similar structure to OMBI and is registered at the same New Fetter Lane address in London. Both serve as directors, are the sole employees, and each owns 50% of the business.
The duo have fixed assets or investment properties worth £2.4 million as of 2023. The company, however, registered a loss of £52,954.
Before Red Bull, there was Arden
In 1997, Horner founded the Arden Motorsport team, through which he raced in Formula 3000. He established several companies under the Arden umbrella: Arden Motorsport Limited (1996), Arden International Motorsport Limited (1997), Arden International Limited (1999), and Arden GP3 Limited (2009).
While the latter company has been dissolved, the former Red Bull CEO has ceded control of the other three firms to his father, Garry Horner.
What next for Christian Horner?
Horner was recently linked with a move to Ferrari. However, the Prancing Horses shot down rumours claiming the Italian outfit had informally approached the former Red Bull boss.
Alpine has emerged as another potential destination.
Red Bull did not provide a clear reason for Horner’s dismissal, but chatter about political jockeying has persisted since the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022.
Certain high-profile individuals were allegedly unhappy with the power Horner held within the team. Unlike Mercedes rival Toto Wolff, Horner did not own a stake in the team.
Alpine could offer Horner a piece of the pie, giving him a strong say in team operations. Several celebrities have invested in the Enstone-based team, including Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Michael B. Jordan, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Rory McIlroy, and Anthony Joshua.
Teams will, however, remain apprehensive about acquiring the services of the former Red Bull boss, who faced allegations of sexual harassment and coercive and controlling behaviour by a female employee.
Horner has continuously denied the claims, with Red Bull also clearing him of any wrongdoing after conducting an independent investigation. The unnamed employee has since escalated her complaint to the UK Employment Tribunal.
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