Red Bull has responded to a recent 19-page document that introduces new accusations directed at Christian Horner, also revealing the identity of the accuser.
Even as Max Verstappen’s outstanding victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix provided an ideal beginning to the season for the current F1 title holders, Red Bull was compelled to address fresh allegations against their team leader.
Following the leak of text messages, purportedly sent by the 50-year-old, to reporters by an unidentified informant, Horner and his spouse Geri Halliwell presented a show of solidarity in the Middle East.
Horner was previously exonerated from wrongdoing by an internal probe, yet the controversy seems far from concluded.
Following the release of a new 19-page piece on Horner, which also disclosed the identity of his accuser, Red Bull once again faced inquiries regarding his situation.
The recent accusations targeting Horner appeared in a detailed 19-page report by Tom Rubython in the ‘BusinessF1 Magazine’, an F1 industry publication. This article also identifies the staff member who allegedly levelled the accusations against the motorsport executive.
Rubython, who has previously run as a UKIP candidate, confessed to The Times that he did not offer Red Bull the opportunity to respond to these allegations before publishing, a standard journalistic practice known as ‘right of reply’.
He said: “If I’d put the claims to Christian I’d have had an immediate injunction or attempted injunction… Harbottle [Horner’s lawyers] are going to have a problem if they go for us in the morning.
“Whether they will or not, I do have a certain reputation of not caving”. A source close to Red Bull also told The Times the article was “full of inaccuracies” and thus dismissed it.
Amid the new allegations and the circulating video, Horner firmly stated his intention to stay with Red Bull. In response to inquiries about his future with the team, he confidently affirmed, “Absolutely 100%.
“A comprehensive internal review was conducted by an independent QC, culminating in the dismissal of the grievance brought against me. That’s the conclusion. It’s time to move forward. I have always been completely sure of my continued presence here.”
