/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/HI3KBHU5GBDDLBGGSO2FRT3IQI.jpg "Red Bull dismisses an employee’s accusations against Christian Horner and keeps him as team director | Formula 1 | Sports")
Red Bull will be able to focus this weekend on asserting the theoretical advantage that its car provides it in terms of performance on the track, following the internal investigation it launched around its director, Christian Horner, was resolved with the exoneration of the executive. The investigations, carried out by an independent lawyer, concluded that the accusation of inappropriate behavior made by a Red Bull employee towards her superior did not have sufficient basis to be considered punishable. In a statement issued this Wednesday early followingnoon, the energy company made public the outcome of the process that has monopolized the attention of the paddockeven above preseason rehearsals.
“The independent investigation into the allegations made once morest Mr Horner has concluded, and Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed. The complainant has the right to appeal,” reads the official note, issued by the parent company of the Austrian company. Over the last three weeks, the lawyers have carried out a series of interviews before offering their verdict, which has led to the acquittal of the former British pilot. “The report regarding the investigation is confidential, and contains private information of the parties and the third parties who collaborated in it. For this reason, and out of respect for all those involved, we will not comment further. “Red Bull will continue to strive to comply with the strictest standards of behavior in the workplace,” the communication concludes.
In this way, Horner, who in addition to being the director of Red Bull Racing – the team – is also its CEO, will continue to lead the operations of the structure that has accumulated the last three world titles, led by Max Verstappen, and that new one is proposed as the reference of the championship that starts this weekend, in Bahrain. Had he been significantly guilty of these accusations, Horner was in serious danger of being forced to leave the position he has held since the team was founded in 2005.
Early this Wednesday it emerged that the former runner had boarded a private flight from Great Britain, which stopped in Austria and landed, in the followingnoon, in Manama. The fact that Horner traveled to the circuit that this Saturday will host the first event on the calendar led to thoughts of a resolution in his favor, an impression that was later confirmed.
Once Red Bull reported on the case, multiple voices closely linked to Formula 1 took a position on the matter, most of them requesting that the matter be closed, in one direction or another, before the start of the season. The first actor to move was Liberty Media, the promoter of the contest, which encouraged the red buffalo structure to complete the investigation into its director “as soon as possible.” Then it was the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which underlined the demand to maintain “the highest standards of integrity, impartiality and inclusion within the sport.” The pressure on the British still increased a little more with the public declaration of Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, that from 2026 it will become Red Bull’s engine supplier. Farley sent a letter to the team, to which the news agency had access Associated Press, in which he expressed his displeasure over alleged allegations of inappropriate behavior regarding Horner. “Ford’s values are not negotiable. It is imperative that our racing partners share and demonstrate a genuine commitment to those same values. My team and I are available at any time to discuss this matter. We trust in an outcome that we can all support,” warned the CEO of the automobile giant.
This same Wednesday, shortly before the news of the day was known, Lewis Hamilton also said his and positioned himself in the same line as Farley, Liberty and the FIA. “I think we always need to do more to try to make sport and the environment people work in feel safe and inclusive. “Any accusation must be taken very seriously,” agreed the still Mercedes driver. “I think it is a very important moment for the sport, to make sure that we are true to our values,” Hamilton stressed.
