Christian Horner’s fairy tale world caught fire earlier this month when he was accused of cross-border behavior with a female Red Bull employee. The unnamed employee registered a complaint containing incriminating evidence. That forced the drink-based outfit to open up an internal investigation.
The Bulls announced that they had hired an external barrister to conduct an unbiased inquiry into the matter. Amidst all this, Christian Horner was allowed to conduct business as usual as Red Bull Racing’s CEO and team principal. Meanwhile, after almost a month, the investigation concluded, and the parent company’s GmbH pronounced the verdict. But the plot took a new twist on the eve of the season-opening Bahrain GP. This is about, once again, the Red Bull boss has landed in hot waters, as his secret screenshots and some solid evidence have been leaked by an anonymous. Keep reading to find out more about this.
Christian Horner Again The Hot Potato Despite Cleared By Red Bull
Red Bull Racing was caught in the whirlwind of a major controversy after its most successful team principal, Christian Horner, was accused of inappropriate behavior by a mid-senior-level female employee. It is reported that the team principal had sent sexually oriented messages regularly over a considerable period.
The parent company initiated an inquiry ahead of an external barrister. Accordingly, Horner appeared before the investigator for deposition along with the complainant. Apparently, the female employee submitted 100 pieces of evidence containing disturbing text messages exchanged between the duo over a brief period of time. However, amidst questions raised over his character, Horner continued business as usual in the UK as team principal and CEO of the racing outfit. He even attended the car launch and claimed innocence to the media.
However, just today, AP Sports reporter Jenna Fryer released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that an anonymous account had distributed a Google Drive link containing evidence related to the case to Liberty Media, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, F1 team principals, and “hundreds of journalists.”
Having said that, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing has concluded the investigation. Christian Horner has been acquitted of charges of inappropriate behavior. Apparently, the investigation team submitted a detailed report of evidence to the company’s GmbH headed by Oliver Mintzlaff, the head of the sports division, Mark Mateschitz, the son of late founder Dietrich Mateschitz, and Chalerm Yoovidhya, the Thai head. All these leaders contemplated on the findings and found Horner non-guilty of any wrongdoings. That certainly means that the team principal will continue to lead the drink-based racing outfit in the near future. However, trouble is not completely over Horner’s shoulders. Reports emerged last week that the female employee could seek legal measures if she finds discrepancies in the investigation. Additionally, the Bull’s official statement mentioned that the complainant has a right to review. Thus, the matter still seems wide open.
Christian Horner Evades Investigation Questions At Bahrain
Meanwhile, hours after Red Bull pronounced its verdict, Christian Horner appeared in Bahrain for the 2024 season-opening race weekend. He was interviewed by Craig Slater, who asked Horner to share his take on the investigation. He said he is relieved the matter is over. But refused to comment more as he said he wasn’t allowed to. “I can’t give you any further comment. The process has been conducted and concluded,” said Horner.
Christians Horner added that the team has never felt stronger. And he is looking forward to defending both the constructors’ and drivers’ titles. It would be interesting to see if the matter is really closed, as Horner would like to believe. If it heads the legal way, Horner could land in further trouble as he won’t have the backing of the stakeholders.
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