A lawyer questioned the Red Bull team manager for several hours on Friday over allegations regarding his conduct
toward a female employee.
“It would not be appropriate to comment until the investigation is completed,” a Red Bull spokeswoman stated.
Horner has refuted the allegations made to the foreign Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
It’s uncertain if the issue will be settled in time for Red Bull’s 2024 launch, which is scheduled to take place at their
Milton Keynes factory on February 15 and feature the unveiling of their new vehicle.
Red Bull is still working on making the event happen.
There are concerns about whether the Horner inquiry will be finished in time for the season to begin, and it may take
weeks to conclude.
Bahrain hosts pre-season testing from February 21–23. The season’s opening race takes place in the Gulf state from
March 1st to 3rd.
In a statement released earlier this week, the business stated that it was treating the matter “extremely seriously”.
The Horner controversy will undoubtedly overshadow Red Bull’s introduction. Horner is unlikely to be able to
respond to inquiries about it, even if he is present, although he and drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will
likely be the main targets of these queries.
The incident is occurring against a backdrop of stories of division and conflict within Red Bull, including assertions
that Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull’s three-time world champion Max, and racing advisor Helmut Marko had
turned against Horner.
Verstappen, Marko, and Red Bull have not yet commented on any of these issues.
Verstappen and Red Bull will begin the season as strong favorites to win a fourth straight world title despite the
setback.
The 26-year-old Dutchman set a number of records the previous season, winning 19 of the 22 races. Red Bull
finished first and second in the drivers’ championship for the first time in company history thanks to Mexican
Perez’s victories in two of the final three races. Adrian Newey, their esteemed chief technological officer, has stated
that the RB20 will be an advancement over its wildly popular forerunner.
The primary concern going into the season is if any of the team’s primary rivals, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and
Aston Martin, can catch up to make the season competitive. The majority of F1 fans anticipate it to remain the
quickest car on the grid.
