Reports surfaced last week Tuesday from De Telegraaf and the German outlet F1 Insider regarding an inquiry into Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal.
An external entity was appointed by Red Bull to look into claims made against Horner, with a meeting planned to discuss these matters further.
Christian Horner had denied allegations made against him and was present at Red Bull’s RB20 livery launch.
The 50-year-old post the livery launch had an extensive interview with SkySportsF1 and asserted he has been supported by Red Bull’s parent company.
When asked by SkySportsF1 – Do you feel supported, if you’re in the factory and among everyone in the industry?
“I feel the support within the business, within our partners, within the industry – it is overwhelming.
There’s a process that’s ongoing at the moment. Some allegations have been made, which I fully deny and I have fully complied with that process and will continue to do so.”
Do you expect to be in your position for that first race?
“I am confident in the process, and working with the process, and absolutely deny any of the allegations that has been made.
I just continue to obviously work within that process.”
However, reports today from Telegraaf.nl suggest that the extensive inquiry concerning allegations against team leader Christian Horner involved a significant incident reported at the headquarters of the billion-dollar corporation in Austria.
In December 2023, a female staff member accused Horner of inappropriate sexual conduct. The woman provided an external attorney, who is handling the investigation, with text messages alleged to prove these claims. These messages have been obtained by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
Analysis of the texts exchanged between Horner and the Red Bull employee reveals that Horner frequently sent messages of a sexual nature over an extended time frame.
Furthermore, it appears Horner took steps to conceal these actions. Specifically, after being approached about the ongoing investigation into misconduct on February 2nd and requested to comment, Horner’s legal representatives quickly issued a letter to the employee’s lawyer within 24 hours, proposing a settlement amounting to approximately £650,000 (over €760,000).
These accusations of inappropriate behaviour by Horner have now become a topic of conversation among various influential figures within the Formula 1 community, as reported by telegraaf.nl
According to F1Insider.com, the employee (who is currently on sick leave) wants to take the case to the English courts.
Despite this, Christian Horner is confident he will be present in his role at the first race of the season.
When asked by SkySportsF1, Will you be in Bahrain? Horner was affirmative, replying: “Yes.”
