At the beginning of February it was announced that the Formula 1 racing team Red Bull had initiated internal investigations against team boss Christian Horner. The 50-year-old is said to have exhibited lewd behavior towards an employee. Since then, the situation has escalated noticeably. The development at a glance:
February 5th: The Red Bull avalanche gets rolling
For the first time, the public is learning about the allegations and internal investigations against Christian Horner. The Red Bull team boss is said to have behaved in a “cross-border” manner towards an employee. Details are not yet known at this point. Horner himself denies any wrongdoing and maintains his innocence.
February 6th: Red Bull makes its first decision
24 hours later, reports began circulating about an internally created Horner dossier at Red Bull headquarters. The mood in the executive suite should already be clear. Horner is reportedly being advised to resign immediately. However, he refuses. Helmut Marko, who is otherwise so eager to provide information, only has one short sentence: “I won’t say anything about it.”
February 7th: The first Verstappen rumors are making the rounds
While the exact allegations are still not known, it turns out that the relationship between Horner and the Verstappen camp is badly damaged. It is quickly suspected that the leak came from this corner. The first publication in Dutch media fits in with this. Very few people believe in “coincidence”.
February 9th: Horner is questioned
Horner is interrogated by an outside lawyer at an unknown location in London for several hours. The first doubts about the lawyer’s independence are making the rounds. Time is now running out for Red Bull: the new car is scheduled to be presented just six days later. A decision will be announced soon.
February 15: Nobody cares about the RB20
A week later, the new RB20 from Red Bull is presented. But hardly anyone is interested in the car. The Horner theme outshines everything. Further details about the case will become known around the presentation.
“De Telegraaf” reports, among other things, that Horner is said to have offered the employee a large amount of money to keep quiet. An internal Red Bull plan is also leaking: According to “motorsport-total.com”, the team would have officially justified Horner’s resignation with “health problems”. So his farewell could have been relatively silent. But Horner rejects this.
February 21st: Formula 1 is pushing for a decision
Test drives begin in Bahrain. With Christian Horner. Many people don’t like that. Even the FIA gets involved and demands a quick clarification. Other team bosses like Toto Wolff and Zak Brown are also putting pressure on. “De Telegraaf” is only publishing details of the allegations and reports that possible sexual assault is the subject of the investigation.
February 26: Investigation ends
The outside attorney’s investigation has been completed. Red Bull has not announced the result yet. The damage to the brand’s image has long been enormous. It is made worse by new revelations: It turns out that the Red Bull decision-makers in Austria absolutely want to throw Horner out. Horner is only still in office because he has the backing of Thai shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya (holds 51 percent of Red Bull GmbH).
February 28: Horner is acquitted
Red Bull announces the results of the investigation: Christian Horner is acquitted! “Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed,” says the dry statement, which speaks of a “fair, thorough and unbiased” process. However, this is exactly what is doubted. Many believe that there was trickery going on in the background.
February 29: Horner leak shakes Formula 1
The next escalation level: 24 hours after the acquittal, an email with leaked, alleged chat history between Horner and the employee reaches the paddock. It is not clear who is behind it. The authenticity cannot be completely checked either. Horner makes it easy for himself and dismisses the leak as “speculation from anonymous sources.”
March 3rd: Frontal attack from the Verstappen camp
Now it’s really banging! Jos Verstappen attacks Horner head-on in an interview and rumbles: “It can’t go on like this. It will escalate. He plays the victim, but he is the one who is causing the problems.”
If there were any doubts about a divided Red Bull camp, these have been dispelled. What comes out on the same day: Horner and Jos Verstappen have a heated argument in Bahrain, in which the Brit is said to have directly accused the Dutchman of being involved in the leaks.
March 4th: Red Bull faces the worst case scenario
Horner’s opponents in the team are going all in and threatening to say goodbye. Jos Verstappen says: If Horner stays, Max is gone. “Sky” expert Ralf Schumacher also suggests a possible departure of star designer Adrian Newey.
There is a crisis meeting between Horner and Verstappen’s management in Dubai. Content and outcome of the conversation? Unclear – as is the future of Christian Horner. The only thing that is certain is that the last word on the matter is far from being spoken.