The outcome of Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner’s investigation is anticipated to be made public ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix season opener this weekend.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner—who has refuted claims made by a female colleague regarding his behaviour—may lose his job or be given the all-clear to resume in the lead-up to this Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Insiders told Reuters that they are anticipating a statement on the outcome of Christian Horner’s investigation from Red Bull’s parent company before the 2024 F1 season opener and maybe in the next 48 hours.
Details of the investigation into the longest-serving principal in sports—who also happens to be the husband of former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell—began in January but were made public on February 5 as the energy drinks company hired an external legal team to look into the matter.
Although media reports have mentioned that Horner is claimed to have shown inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards a female colleague, neither the energy drink company nor the reigning champions have disclosed the specifics of the allegations.
F1, which is owned by Liberty Media has simply expressed its hope that the issue would be resolved as soon as possible via an impartial and exhaustive process. It is well known that the sport and its governing body want this issue resolved as quickly as possible to prevent any detrimental impact on the race.
Horner reportedly underwent a full day of questioning to provide evidence for the investigation as Red Bull GmbH hired an external barrister to look into the accusations made against the team boss.
It is reported that the investigation’s findings have already been submitted to the parent company in Austria, and is believed to be based on some 60 hours of interviews with all parties. According to Sky Sports, the report on the findings is well over 100 pages long, but the specifics are probably going to be kept under wraps.
Throughout the investigation, Horner continued to appear at Red Bull’s official events. He was present for the RB20’s launch event two weeks ago and he was also on-site for pre-season testing in Bahrain last week.
A decision over Horner’s future with the team is reportedly anticipated on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week; eventually, the seasoned team principal and CEO will report to the Red Bull GmbH board.
To protect the privacy of the individuals involved, Red Bull’s parent company is unlikely to provide any correspondence that includes substantial information on the allegations themselves.
Horner has insisted that his presence at the track and the official debut of the team’s 2024 F1 challenger is “business as usual” as he prepares for the upcoming season, in which Red Bull hopes to win a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship and a third consecutive Constructors’ title.
