by After a week of turmoil and drama, Red Bull Formula One team principal Christian Horner was relieved yesterday when his team took a commanding victory at the season-opening race in Bahrain.
He watched the race with his wife Geri, the former Spice Girl – which will provide even more joy, as he is fighting for his job, his reputation and his marriage.
But the spotlight remains firmly on Horner, even as Red Bull lead again, with a stunning victory by world champion Max Verstappen.
A team principal at Red Bull for 20 years, he is one of the most successful bosses in modern sport, but has been the focus of ongoing attention over allegations of inappropriate behavior by a female employee. These reached a climax last week when, within 24 hours of his acquittal of these charges, an email was leaked, within F1, the press and others purporting to show messages between Horner and the employee who made the complaint. Its authenticity has not been confirmed, but its influence is enormous.
As a result, interest in F1 has grown far beyond the sports pages. Horner, a leading figure in motor racing, enjoys the politics, the motivation among team principals and the media attention. However, it was a fight of a different kind – although supporters have argued that it is driven by internal power plays at Red Bull.
But it was also very personal. Geri Halliwell-Horner arrived in Bahrain on Thursday evening as the leaked email was dropping into inboxes around the world. The content quickly spread on social media, leaving her “shocked and humiliated”.
However, Halliwell-Horner came to the race on Saturday hand in hand with her husband in a show of solidarity. She has been supported by Horner throughout – although she did not go to the grid before the race, as she has often done in the past, instead staying in the team’s hospitality sector. However, Horner has embraced a very public show of support with Chalerm Yoovidhya, the Thai son of Red Bull founder Chaleo, who owns a 51% stake in the company and is understood to still support Horner.
Speaking after the race Horner said: “Obviously, it wasn’t pleasant. The unwanted attention. I’m not going to comment on the reasons someone might have for doing this. I focus on this team, my family, my wife and racing. I have the support of an incredible family, an incredible wife, an incredible team and everyone within that team. I’m just focusing on racing and winning races and doing as well as I can.
“You can see what the whole team was up to, you better do your talking on the track. The focus is now on the cars.”
How Halliwell-Horner ultimately responds remains to be seen, and the process is far from over. It began on February 5 when Red Bull Racing’s parent company, Austria-based energy drink manufacturer Red Bull GmbH, announced it had opened an investigation into Horner for alleged inappropriate behaviour, but did not say data other than what was understood to be “controlling” in nature.
The female complainant remained anonymous, as did the English counsel conducting the inquiry. Horner attended an interview with the barrister in London which lasted more than eight hours. The investigation involved many employees and resulted in a report of more than 600 pages.
Red Bull would not comment on the process while it is underway. Horner denied any wrongdoing from the start. But when the new team car was launched on February 15, he looked tired.
When it became clear that Wednesday’s decision would be announced in Bahrain, the atmosphere in the Paddock was febrile. Horner may have believed that a corner had been turned when the decision came from Red Bull GmbH that the complaint was dismissed, but no information about the investigation, its findings or its conclusions was released. “The decision has been made, so please move on” was the meaning of Red Bull’s statement.
Other team principals have demanded transparency – as have, privately, the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, and F1 Management, as well as the press. Social media announced coverage. Horner and Red Bull, after refusing to comment on the process while it was underway, now said they could not comment on it for confidentiality purposes.
It was an unfamiliar adventure for someone who had had a distinguished career up to this point. Having decided early on that he didn’t have what it took to become a top driver, Horner threw himself into team management, setting up his Arden team to race in F3000. He duly made his mark and caught the eye of Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian businessman who founded the Red Bull energy drink company. When Mateschitz bought the F1 team to form Red Bull Racing, he took on Horner as team principal for his first season in 2005.
He was the youngest team principal on the grid at the time and is now the longest serving. What followed in F1 terms was highly unusual. He delivered four consecutive world championships with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013 when the team, along with Ferrari and Mercedes, became one of the three biggest powers in F1. Verstappen has since delivered three more drivers’ titles, for a total of six constructors’ championships.
