by When Christian Horner’s jet left for Bahrain on Wednesday, it was not yet clear whether he would arrive to find out he had lost his job and might have to take off again. But by the time he landed, the beleaguered Red Bull team principal would know he could breathe easier again.
The statement from Red Bull GmBH which dropped at 3.30pm UK time, almost the exact time Horner’s plane landed, clearing Horner of inappropriate behavior following allegations made by a female colleague, ended four weeks of escalating drama in Formula A one. And that’s saying something when the month started with the news of Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell move from Mercedes to Ferrari for 2025.
In fact, the investigation into Horner went on for eight weeks. Telegraph Sport understands the Red Bull team principal has been hanging on to him since early January, when the allegations were first made.
But it wasn’t until De Telegraaf in the Netherlands, and a little website called F1-Insider.com, went public with the news on February 5 that Horner was being investigated by parent company Red Bull that things really got crazy. .
This was a news story that ticked a lot of public interest boxes: Horner was not just big news in F1, it was big news in general. Married to ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, his famous Netflix personality, the couple’s golden life in the Cotswolds and north London, with their racehorses and famous friends.
Horner immediately denied the allegations – he even interrupted an F1 Commission meeting in London on February 5 to tell his fellow team principals that he was innocent. But it was difficult to know exactly what he was denying.
Red Bull GmBH did not specify what the allegations were in its initial statement confirming the investigation. The charges were identified internally as “controlled” possibly “coercive” behaviour. Behind the scenes all kinds of wild rumors were flying around; WhatsApp messages and pictures.
What was immediately clear was that a lot was happening politically. As a result of the death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022, Horner was removed from a key ally on the Austrian side, a man who had the final word and was looked up to by the entire company.
Now, with a new board in place, a new chief executive in Oliver Mintzlaff who is responsible for Formula One, the company had a different feel. “Void” as Martin Brundle called it on Sky Sports F1.
You can understand why they might have more control over the UK operation. Horner is not only the principal of the Red Bull team but is the chief executive of Red Bull Racing (which is believed to be worth north of £1 billion), Red Bull Powertrains and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, responsible for around 1,500 employees in total.
Split rumors began to spread
There were rumors that Mark Mateschitz, Dietrich’s son, who owns 49 percent of the energy drink company, was in favor of getting rid of Horner, while Chalerm Yoovidhya, the eldest son of Chaleo Yoovidhya, the co-creator of Red Bull, was in favor of keeping him. spread quickly.
As with the original leak of the investigation, the origin of some of the stories appeared to be more than coincidence.
Could he have fallen out with Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport consultant, and Jos Verstappen, the fit father of three-time world champion Max? Were they out to get it? Why would they when the team was doing so well on the road?
All valid questions. But there is no doubt that things became very tense towards the end of last season, at the same time as the period from which it is understood that the claimant’s allegations of controlled behavior would arise.
It is understood that the claimant had a close relationship with Verstappen Snr. The pair were spotted together after the 2021 title win in Abu Dhabi.
It was clearly a case of concern that the independent counsel, appointed by Red Bull to look into the allegations, was trying to resolve.
Horner was grilled by the anonymous KC in question in London for eight hours on February 9. And at first there were sounds that were coming out that Horner could be exonerated quite quickly. He certainly seemed confident at the car’s launch in Milton Keynes on February 15. Maybe he was too confident. The next day a report appeared in the Netherlands that blew everything up again.
The publication of that story certainly affected things. Red Bull was nervous about further speculation. Formula One and the FIA were trying to get things done before the season started. Pressure began to apply. Especially by Horner’s competitive team principals.
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and McLaren’s Zak Brown both spoke of the need for “transparency” in relation to the investigation, with Wolff saying senior F1 figures were “role models” and had to act with complete integrity.
Eager to be united, on Wednesday Horner even stopped in Austria on the way to Bahrain to collect Marko, despite persistent concerns about a power struggle within the team.
Behind the scenes at Milton Keynes, Horner still enjoyed widespread support. There were even suggestions that some would leave in solidarity if Horner went. That hasn’t happened yet. But this is Formula One. It would be surprising if we had heard the last of this.
