Christian Horner will be questioned on Friday as part of an independent investigation into his conduct after allegations of inappropriate controlling behaviour were made against the Red Bull team principal.
Horner has denied the claims and will meet with the external barrister tasked by the team’s parent company, drinks manufacturer Red Bull, with leading the investigation at Red Bull Racing headquarters in Milton Keynes at the end of the week.
No timescale nor timeline for the investigation has been revealed by any of the parties involved but it is understood there is pressure to deal with the issue swiftly, with the hope being that the investigation can be concluded before the launch of the 2024 car on Thursday next week.
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The 50-year-old is fighting to save his career following a complaint believed to have been made by a female member of staff and taken up with the team’s owner rather than the Formula One team itself. Red Bull Racing has still to make any formal comment regarding the allegations but it is reported they may relate to an aggressive management style.
The team’s owner confirmed on Monday that it had launched an investigation, adding: “The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practical.”
Horner, who was attending a meeting of the F1 Commission in London on Monday afternoon, is understood to have told fellow attendees that there was no truth to the accusations. He made an emphatic rebuttal following the publication of the allegations, stating: “I completely deny these claims.” The team’s parent company, Red Bull, has said commenting further would not be appropriate while the investigation is ongoing.
Horner, who will remain in his post while the investigation is carried out, has been team principal at Red Bull since it was bought from Jaguar in 2004. He is now entering his 20th season with them and has enjoyed a remarkable period of success but it is believed that his position would be untenable if the allegations are proved.
The Williams team principal, James Vowles, said that while he did not have any knowledge of the allegations themselves or the “significance of what has happened” the sport had to take all such issues seriously.
“All I can say is should this happen on our guard we would be entirely supportive in terms of fixing it and making sure we have a culture that is accepting of everyone,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg when asked about the allegations.
“It means we all have to look at each other in the mirror and make sure we are posing the right questions internally and acting in the way we can only be proud of, not today but in the next 10 years.”
There is reportedly an internal power struggle at Red Bull Racing amid the drama. Horner was the youngest F1 team principal when he was appointed in 2005. He is now the longest serving principal in the paddock and has steered Red Bull racing to extraordinary success during that period.
They have won six constructors’ world championships and seven drivers’ titles and have enjoyed remarkable dominance over the last two seasons, both won comfortably by Max Verstappen, with Red Bull claiming 21 wins from 22 races in 2023. Horner was instrumental in bringing the designer, Adrian Newey, to Red Bull as well as Verstappen to F1, when the driver was just 17 years old.
