SUMMARY
- Christian Horner has been feeling the heat ever since an unnamed Red Bull employee provoked an investigation with the team.
- Horner will continue playing the team principal role at Red Bull until the final verdict.
Red Bull Racing may have spawned a potentially title-winning challenger for the 2024 Formula 1 season. However, the focus has hardly been cast on Red Bull’s V6-powered RB-24, rather, the focus has mostly been on the Milton Keynes outfit’s boss Christian Horner for all the wrong reasons. An entire week has passed, and the ongoing investigation has yet to deliver a breakthrough.
Here’s a short recap of the intense legal battle featuring Horner and an unnamed Red Bull employee. The rumored female employee had hurled some serious allegations at the team principal, forcing Red Bull to launch an investigation into the matter. While several reports suggested that Horner would be obliged to resign from his superior position at Red Bull, the Briton has made his stance clear.
If anything, Horner is only keen on proving himself innocent and has reportedly refused to let go of his job. According to several prominent media houses, some big motorsport personalities, including former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone and even the FIA, intervened, hoping to convince Horner to resign before the situation went haywire. But, all their efforts have barely paid off.
🚨 Christian Horner is at the Silverstone shakedown today, and plans to be at the launch on Thursday as well, @ErikvHaren reports
He also mentions it may take weeks before the report into Horner’s investigation is done.
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) February 13, 2024
Of course, Ecclestone eventually denied such stories with a statement – “To clarify reports by newspapers that I had urged or suggested that Christian Horner should step down from his position in Red Bull is entirely UNTRUE.”
Nevertheless, the question arises; will Horner take part in the upcoming launch event of Red Bull’s 2024 F1 challenger, the RB-24? The answer is yes! It looks like Red Bull has opted for the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ approach with Horner, and has clearly decided against dethroning its greatest treasure.
When will the fate of Christian Horner be revealed?
While many reckoned that last week’s meeting would decide Horner’s future in Formula 1, this turned out to be false. According to reports, Horner was even present at Red Bull’s latest shakedown at Silverstone on Tuesday. What’s more, he will also take part in the upcoming launch event, but, what after that?
There’s hardly any time for the opening race of the season, set to take place in Bahrain. Well, by the looks of it, Red Bull is keen on getting this bitter saga out of the way. And if Horner is found guilty, reports have pointed toward Jonathan Wheatley as Horner’s interim replacement.