Christijan Albers identifies one clause in Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit that is ‘absolutely ridiculous’
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Christian Horner’s Red Bull exit was confirmed at the end of September, and former F1 driver Christijan Albers has shared which aspect of the deal he finds ‘absolutely ridiculous’.
With Horner’s sacking from his 20-year post at Red Bull serving as one of the biggest shocks of the current Formula 1 campaign, the story of where we will next see him set up shop in the paddock is just as gripping.
One of the agreements within Horner’s exit deal is that he will be required to wait until the summer break of the upcoming season, at the very least, before he is allowed to officially sign for one of Red Bull’s rivals on the F1 grid.
Horner is clear on the terms in which he returns to F1, which has been aided by the multi-million pound agreement that he came to with Red Bull that saw his exit from the team become official.
The amount of money that the Austrian constructor forked out to see the back of Horner at Milton Keynes raised a lot of eyebrows, including those of a former F1 driver.
READ MORE: Craig Slater addresses whether Fred Vasseur and Christian Horner could form a partnership at Ferrari
Photo by Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Christijan Albers thinks Christian Horner’s Red Bull severance payout is ‘absolutely ridiculous’
In his column for the Dutch publication, De Telegraaf, Albers touched upon the differences that he has seen within the Red Bull setup since the British executive was relieved of his duties and Laurent Mekies was thrust at the helm.
Leading onto the topic of Horner’s official exit from the Austrian constructor last month, Albers wrote, “As a former racing driver, I find it absolutely ridiculous that he’s getting such a massive buyout of around €60 million [£52 million].
“As a driver, you always have performance clauses in your contract: if you don’t perform, you can go. With all the success he’s achieved, Horner lost his way somewhere, lost focus, and almost caused Red Bull to lose its status as a top team.
“Only to be bought off. I understand that Red Bull wants everything resolved as quickly as possible, but it’s actually ridiculous that you’re being rewarded for it in this way, so to speak.”
The actual reason for the 51-year-old’s exit is yet to be stated, and a number of factors are known to have contributed to his early departure from the squad.
Upon taking the reins from Horner, Mekies didn’t know what to tell Red Bull staff when he was approached about questions regarding the grounds of his predecessor’s leave.
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc doesn’t ‘understand’ what he’s heard about Ferrari beyond Christian Horner links
CHRISTIAN HORNER’S RECORD AS RED BULL F1 TEAM PRINCIPALGrands Prix entered406Wins124Podiums287Pole positions107Points8,009Drivers’ championships8 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)Constructors’ championships6 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023)
Christian Horner is eyeing a return to the grid during the 2026 F1 season
Despite the period of ‘so-called gardening leave’ that he is currently in, the 51-year-old has been in contact with multiple teams over the possibility of taking up a role with them once the spell has elapsed.
Ferrari has emerged as a frontrunner to acquire the services of the previously highly successful team boss, much to the ‘irritation’ of current boss Fred Vasseur.
The Prancing Horse has been in poor form as of late, and higher-ups within the Scuderia may be regretting their decision to hand the Frenchman a new deal earlier on in the current term.
Ferrari chairman John Elkann is reportedly wooing Horner as he seems to have lost faith in Vasseur’s abilities to bring the Maranello-based squad back to their former glory.
It will be fascinating to see how Horner’s return saga unfolds, and in which colours we end up seeing the 51-year-old donning upon his return to the F1 paddock.
