Everything we know about Christian Horner saga as Red Bull investigation ‘complete’

Red Bull’s Christian Horner verdict is imminent following allegations of inappropriate behaviour against the F1 boss.

Christian Horner will soon discover whether he can continue as Red Bull’s team principal or if the multi-billion-dollar drinks company will force him to step down. An investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour is reportedly complete, with the verdict soon to be made public. Here, Express Sport takes you through everything we know about the F1 saga dominating pre-season…

A female employee brought forward allegations of inappropriate and controlling behaviour against Horner to the Austrian headquarters of Red Bull GmbH, as opposed to the company’s F1 base in Milton Keynes.

Extensive details of the allegations are set to be kept under wraps, even once the verdict is made public, due to issues of confidentiality.

The investigation

A specialist independent barrister was brought in by Red Bull GmbH to lead the investigation. Horner was reportedly questioned for up to eight hours at an undisclosed location on February 9. According to Sky Sports, the barrister’s work is now ‘complete’ and a resolution is imminent.

According to reports from the Netherlands, there are suggestions that Mark Mateschitz, a major shareholder of Red Bull GmbH and the son of the late founder Dietrich, is looking to remove Horner from his position.  

It is said that the Red Bull board is not in agreement on this issue, and the majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya is believed to be supporting Horner privately.   

Ford is eager for the investigation to conclude as they prepare to collaborate with Red Bull in producing F1 power units starting in 2026. CEO Jim Farley expressed his frustration by writing to the company over the weekend. 

The verdict

A report comprising more than 100 pages is now believed to be in the hands of the Red Bull GmbH board, who will take the final decision on whether to keep or axe Horner, with a final verdict set to be communicated either today (Tuesday) or tomorrow (Wednesday).

Horner defiant

The 50-year-old has been continuing his team principal duties as normally as possible, appearing at the RB20 launch earlier this month and three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The verdict is due before the end of Wednesday, when Horner will fly back out to the Middle East ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix if he is kept on at Red Bull.

Horner has strenuously denied the allegations from the start, saying: “Of course, [looking into] the allegations is a process that Red Bull are running through and have confirmed that process externally, but obviously there’s a job to do and I deny fully the accusations that have been made, and my role obviously continues.‌”

Verstappen impatient

Max Verstappen, the key driver for Red Bull, is preparing for the upcoming season.  

He has emerged as the winner of the last three Drivers’ Championships and is widely expected to win a fourth in 2024.   

Verstappen has understandably chosen not to comment on the probe into the team principal of Red Bull who has been in the position for a long time.  

However, he did acknowledge last week that a quick conclusion to the investigation would be preferable.   

The 26-year-old stated that it is best to concentrate on personal performance as it is already a full-time commitment.   However, they acknowledged that it is always pleasant when issues are resolved.