Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner will face an internal hearing this Friday over allegations he denies.
The energy drinks company, which owns the Formula 1 outfit, recently launched a formal investigation after receiving an undisclosed complaint from a female employee, and has enlisted independent professionals.
In a statement on Monday, the Austrian company said: “In light of certain recent allegations, the company has initiated an independent investigation. This work has already started and is being conducted by an external, specialist lawyer. The company takes these matters very seriously and aims to conclude the investigation as quickly as possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”
It is understood that Horner will meet with the external legal representative engaged by the Red Bull company on Friday. However, he continues to carry out his duties as team principal and attended the F1 Commission meeting in London on Monday. He told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “I completely deny these allegations.”
The Red Bull team has so far declined to comment. The team is in the midst of its crucial preparations for the 2024 season, with the launch of the RB20 scheduled for February 15, followed by pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 21-23.
The Red Bull RB19 won 21 of last year’s 22 races, leading rivals to speculate that due to its dominance, the team had not fully developed the car and instead focused on the 2024 challenger. Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey revealed that the RB20 would be the “third evolution” of the 2022 ground-effect rules-based RB18.
The 50-year-old Briton has been Red Bull’s team principal since 2005 and has not missed a grand prix in 19 years, making him the longest-serving current team boss in the paddock. Under his leadership, Red Bull has claimed 13 world championships. Late last year, he was named on King Charles’ New Year Honours list and will receive an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) later this year. His wife is former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.
Williams team principal James Vowles recently commented on the Horner situation in an interview with Bloomberg, stating that it serves as a reminder that the environment in F1 has changed and everyone must ensure their conduct is something they can be proud of for years to come.
“I think it means we all have to look in the mirror and make sure we’re asking the right questions internally and behaving in a way we can be proud of not just today but for the next 10 years,” he said.
“The sport itself… if you look back 20 years ago, it was undoubtedly male-dominated – if I were to ask you what a team looked like, it would be white, it would be male, it would be around 40 years old… that’s probably where it was. That’s changing, and only positive things come from that change.”
Vowles, who has worked in F1 for over two decades and joined Williams after leaving Mercedes at the end of last year, added: “All I can control is what happens within Williams, and what I can do in that environment is to make sure that everyone is wide-eyed to the fact that we must be this because the best ideas don’t come from a closed group. They come from diversity.”
“These allegations are allegations. Unfortunately, I’m not privy to what sits behind those allegations or the significance of them. All I can say is that if that happened here, we would support it being resolved fully and ensure that we have a culture that accepts everybody,” he concluded.
In 2019, Mercedes dismissed four employees and disciplined three others over racist abuse directed at a colleague.