Further details regarding the “inappropriate behaviour” allegations against Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner have come to light.
Red Bull’s internal investigation into an allegation lodged against Christian Horner is reportedly based on a complaint regarding his “controlling” demeanor and strict work regimen as a result of a bitter power struggle at Red Bull.
However, Geri Halliwell’s husband denied the allegations made by a fellow employee saying: “I completely deny these claims.”
When the news broke, Halliwell was allegedly in “floods of tears,” but she is supporting her husband, whom she married in 2015.
Red Bull later confirmed that an independent barrister is set to begin questioning Horner on Friday, February 8. However, according to The Sun, there is no sexual misconduct involved; rather, the problem stems from a female colleague’s worries about his strict work regime.
According to reports, Horner expressed his displeasure with a female employee’s behaviour and voiced his concerns before she lodged a complaint about her boss’s domineering behavior.
According to another insider, there is a deliberate effort to make Horner less powerful within the organization. Reports of a power struggle between the parent company in Salzburg, Austria and the team he oversees in the UK have been conflicting for quite sometime.
That purported split was set off by the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022. Following his demise, a new board of directors was appointed.
Oliver Mintzlaff, the former chairman of RB Leipzig, took over the F1 department and it is believed that Mintzlaff wants Horner fired. There are also rumors that the Brit and Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko don’t get along.
Horner downplayed the rumors, claiming that the dispute with Helmut Marko—a controversial personality in his own right—was actually only a minor conflict of opinion.
But Horner’s work is allegedly supported by Red Bull’s Thai backers, led by Chalerm Yoovidhya, the son of co-founder Chaleo.
In the build-up to preseason testing in Bahrain coming in two weeks, Horner continues to work normally and has not yet been suspended. He has served in the Red Bull leadership role since 2005 and has won seven drivers’ titles in along with six constructors’ championships with the team.
The last three titles have been secured by Max Verstappen. In 2023, they had the most dominant season in Formula One’s history, winning 21 of 22 races. Horner received a CBE award at the end of the season for his services to motorsport.
