SUMMARY
- Christian Horner faces the heat as Red Bull launches investigation.
- F1 fans not thrilled as Red Bull management comes under the microscope.
When the 2023 season ended, the F1 community was preparing for a slow winter break as there were no drivers changing teams for 2024. However, in the past few weeks, we have had a ton of news coming from the F1 teams. It all started with Guenther Steiner leaving Haas, then with Charles Leclerc’s contract extension, Lewis Hamilton’s groundbreaking news, and now Christian Horner takes over the headlines as Red Bull launches an internal investigation on him.
It was reported that Horner is facing allegations of inappropriate behavior. This news came out of nowhere as fans were still processing Hamilton joining Ferrari. This is definitely an unpleasant surprise as Red Bull has launched their own investigation.
F1 community reacts to allegations against Christian Horner
There is no doubt that this is now a sensitive subject. There is no confirmation as to what the inappropriate behavior was. But judging by the statement released by Red Bull, we can assume that the situation is quite serious.
A lot of fans have taken to social media to voice their opinions on the matter. Most of the public seems to be putting Helmut Marko down as well. There are comments comparing Horner’s allegations to Marko’s racist statements in the past.
In 2023, Helmut Marko made some racist statements towards Sergio Perez. Although he apologized to personally and publically to Perez, the fans did not let go of it very easily. It seems as though they are still holding it against him.
Coming back to Horner’s situation, there is no doubt that things are going to remain tense in Milton Keynes until the situation is investigated and the appropriate action is taken. Red Bull released a statement once the news hit the media.
the investigation is being carried out by an external specialist barrister. that should tell you all you need to know about the severity of the allegation.
now is not the time to be celebrating “red bull’s downfall” or “the demise of horner”.
think about the victim please.
— megs (@44megs) February 5, 2024
it takes a lot of guts to speak up about inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, especially when it’s (allegedly) from someone as powerful as Christian Horner. i think it’s really brave of them, and i really hope the employee has a good support system around them.
— megs (@44megs) February 5, 2024
“After the company was informed of certain recent allegations, an independent investigation has been launched. This process, which is already underway, is carried out by an external, specialized lawyer. The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practical as possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Given the sensitivity of the situation, nothing much can be said until the investigation is completed and the media is informed. Until then, sit tight.
Who has Red Bull hired to investigate the allegations against Christian Horner?
After the allegations were made aware to Red Bull, the company announced that they would be calling a 3rd party to investigate the allegations. This person is an external lawyer who will be unbiased.
The board of Red Bull will be looking to get the matter resolved as soon as possible. The team has their livery launch coming up in a week. So we should know the results of the investigation in the next couple of days.
to investigate Christian Horner after all the horrible things Helmut Marko has said with no consequences whatsoever — it’s gotta be something big
— emi 🏒 (@maraneIlo) February 5, 2024
There is no doubt that the accuser has made a brave move to call out Christian Horner for his inappropriate behavior. Horner has been Red Bull’s team principal ever since the team joined the grid in 2005. He is well respected in the company. Ever since Dietrich Mastechitz passed away, Christian has taken more responsibility. So there is no doubt that he has a lot of power in the team.
The specifics of the allegations are still unclear. All we know is that he allegedly committed some sort of inappropriate behavior. We will have to wait for more information on the matter to become available.