Christian Horner is being investigated over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which he denies.
According to reports, there is disagreement among Red Bull’s owners regarding Christian Horner’s departure from the team in light of the ongoing investigation into his behavior. Horner is being investigated for allegedly inappropriate behavior, which he denies. This is because Red Bull’s parent company in Austria received a complaint from a female employee.
Ahead of the upcoming season, the scandal has clouded Red Bull; Horner’s future is reportedly in jeopardy while the investigation is ongoing. The 50-year-old attended Red Bull’s season launch event on Thursday and has been working in his typical capacity for the past few weeks.
F1-insider reports that the investigation has caused a rift over Horner’s status in the team between Red Bull’s owners in Austria and Thailand. According to reports, Horner “must leave” because the company’s 49% Austrian subsidiary has made that clear.
This is apparently not the case for the Thai side of the company, as they are refusing to fire or suspend Horner. Despite the Austrian side’s purported concern that the saga will become a breaking point for the entire company, their verdict is final due to their 51 per cent stake.
It remains to be seen if Red Bull’s attempts to maintain an advantage over their competitors come opening day of the new season, given the ongoing investigation into Horner. According to reports, it might continue until after the Bahrain Grand Prix next month. Horner will probably be questioned again after being cross-examined by a top attorney last week.
For the first time, the Red Bull team principal discussed the story with the media on Thursday, telling Express Sport among others: “The industry, our partners, and the business as a whole have shown tremendous support.”
“A process is undoubtedly in progress at the moment; certain accusations have been made, which I categorically refute. I am, and will remain, compliant with the process until its resolution. In my opinion, it’s been quite evident, and Red Bull’s stance has been that everything is continuing as usual.
“Obviously, there is a job to do and I fully deny the accusations that have been made, and my role obviously continues. Of course, the allegations are a process that Red Bull is going through and have confirmed that process externally.”
“I think at moments of uncertainty it brings the team together and I’ve never seen a team more together, or more supportive than it is,” Horner said in response to a question about whether the investigation might end up becoming a distraction for the group.
“Everyone is invested in the car, and I’m excited to see it in action in Bahrain next week. Everyone is focused on the performance of that car, to go out and defend both of the world titles that we’ve worked so hard to achieve over the last couple of years.”
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