Complaint dismissed: Horner remains Red Bull team boss

A short statement sent at the same time by Red Bull GmbH (as owner of the Formula 1 team) and the Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing said: “The independent investigation into the allegations against Christian Horner has been completed . Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed.” However, this does not mean that the affair has to end because the complaining party has the right to appeal.

The investigation report is confidential and contains private information from the parties and third parties, it said. Red Bull will not comment further out of respect for everyone involved. However, the topic is still explosive, if you believe information that the portal “Motorsport-Total.com” wants.

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It says: The Horner affair now threatens to become a breaking point for the entire Red Bull Group. Because while the Thai shareholders, according to information from Motorsport-Total.com, are behind Horner as team boss, the Austrian wing of the group is clearly of the opinion that the 50-year-old is no longer tenable in his position.

Questioned for several hours

At the beginning of February, a report in the Dutch newspaper “De Telegraaf” made it public that Red Bull GmbH had initiated an investigation into the employee’s allegations. On February 9, Horner was questioned for several hours by an independent investigator. There was a lot of simmering behind the scenes at the racing team from Milton Keynes, but on the surface everything went as usual. Horner was not suspended from duty for the duration of the investigation, but carried out his duties at the presentation of the new racing car as well as during the official test drives.

Recently, the pressure from outside has also become greater and greater. Team leaders in Formula 1 such as Zak Brown and Toto Wolff said that the matter needed to be clarified quickly. The Formula 1 parent company Liberty Media, the world automobile association FIA and also the US car manufacturer Ford made similar statements will be Red Bull Racing’s technology partner in the future. Red Bull management ran through all possible scenarios regarding Horner’s future.

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Horner has been team boss since Red Bull entered Formula 1 in 2005. The racing team has won seven drivers’ world championship titles during its era (four Sebastian Vettel, three Max Verstappen) and six among the constructors. The 50-year-old has been married to Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell since 2015, with whom he has a son. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship.