# Christian Horner's ex-colleagues turn on him > Former Red Bull colleagues accuse Christian Horner of 'lying' and 'spicy tension' after £67m payout to Geri Halliwell's husband revealed. - Title: Christian Horner's ex-colleagues turn on him · Dailymail - Summary: Former Red Bull colleagues accuse Christian Horner of 'lying' and 'spicy tension' after £67m payout to Geri Halliwell's husband revealed. Christian Horner's… - Keywords: christian horner, red bull, geri halliwell, max verstappen, formula one, severance payout, texting scandal, news, entertainment, Christian, Horner's, ex-colleagues - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/sport/formulaone/article-16192493/Christian-Horner-payout-Red-Bull-Geri-Halliwell-Max-Verstappen.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-10-08T19:14:51+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: christian horner, red bull, geri halliwell, max verstappen, formula one, severance payout, texting scandal, f1, news, entertainment ## Former Red Bull colleagues turn on Horner Christian Horner's former Red Bull colleagues have called him out for 'lying' and 'causing spicy tension'. > Christian Horner 's former Red Bull colleagues have called him out for 'lying' and 'causing spicy tension'. ## £67m severance payout revealed Horner, 52, was paid a staggering £67million in severance after being sacked by Red Bull following a texting scandal. > Horner, 52, was paid a staggering £67million in severance after being sacked by Red Bull following a texting scandal. ## Red Bull accounts disclose payout Documents filed this week at Companies House from Red Bull Racing disclose Horner banked £33.5m, with Geri Halliwell's husband receiving an extra £33.5m. > Documents filed this week at Companies House from Red Bull Racing disclose that Horner, 52, banked £33.5m. The husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell was then paid an extra £33.5m from other Red Bull accounts. ## Max Verstappen on team tensions Max Verstappen said their was 'tension' in Red Bull when Christian Horner was in charge, but it is now less stressful. > T o be honest, I like to see that people get on. It is not nice when you constantly have tension between people. ## Helmut Marko denies Horner's claims Helmut Marko, Red Bull adviser, denied Horner's claim that he did not want Max Verstappen in the team, calling it an 'absolute lie'. > Marko, 83, rubbished that allegation by referring to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher assessment that Horner's version of events was an 'absolute lie'. ## Ralf Schumacher's account Ralf Schumacher said Marko approached Max Verstappen when he was 11-and-a-half years old, but Horner thought he was too young. > Marko approached Max when he was just 11-and-a-half years old. At the time, Jos said it was still too early for him. ## Horner's tenure at Red Bull Horner led Red Bull for 20 years, winning eight drivers' championships and six constructors' titles before being sacked in July 2025. > Horner had been the longest reigning team principal in the sport, steering Red Bull for 20 years and winning eight drivers' championships and six constructors' titles, but was sacked in July 2025, a year after the scandal that engulfed him over texts he apparently sent to a female employee. ## Texting scandal details Seventy-nine WhatsApp screenshots were leaked in an explosive email sent to F1 figures ahead of the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. > Seventy-nine screenshots of WhatsApp chats between Horner and the female then colleague were leaked in an explosive email sent to almost 200 people involved in the sport, including owners Liberty Media, team principals and the media. ## Horner's potential return Horner recently told The Times he would consider joining Ferrari as his 'dream' team without an equity stake. > Would I consider Ferrari? I mean, Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. It's the dream. And arguably it's the sleeping giant of Formula 1. ## Ferrari's response Ferrari publicly backed current team principal Fred Vasseur, stating they have full confidence in him and his team. > Ferrari want to end speculation over the leadership of the team. 'I am officially saying that Ferrari has made its choices and has full confidence in Fred Vasseur and his team. Nothing has changed. So that’s it.' ## Vasseur's challenges Vasseur has failed to deliver results, never getting close to a world championship despite paying Lewis Hamilton £80million-a-year. > Vasseur is also widely condemned within the organisation for failing to learn more than a few words of Italian, instead speaking in English, or his native French, since taking over as Scuderia boss in 2023. ## Horner's wife supports him Horner's wife Geri stood by him throughout the scandal, living in a £9.2m mansion near the Oxfordshire border with Northamptonshire. > His wife Geri stood by him throughout the scandal. They live together in a £9.2m mansion near the Oxfordshire border with Northamptonshire. ## Accused employee released The woman who accused Horner of coercive behaviour was mysteriously released from her role in motor racing. > Last month, it was revealed that the woman who accused him of coercive behaviour had been mysteriously released from her latest role in motor racing. ## Horner's denial of misconduct Horner has always denied the claims and was twice cleared of any impropriety in internal investigations at Red Bull. > Horner has always denied the claims and was twice cleared of any impropriety in internal investigations at Red Bull, despite a tranche of supposedly intimate text exchanges between the pair being made public in an explosive email sent to F1 figures before the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. ## Horner's future plans Horner has stated he would only consider joining Ferrari without an equity stake, but Ferrari has publicly backed Vasseur. > At this stage in my life, there's only one team for which I would accept non-participation in ownership [Ferrari]. ## Key takeaway Christian Horner's former Red Bull colleagues accuse him of 'lying' and causing 'constant spicy tension' after a £67m severance payout to Geri Halliwell's husband was disclosed.