Following Jos Verstappen’s apparent falling out with the British team principal, the Verstappen clan is alleged to
have leaked information to the Dutch and German press indicating that Red Bull is looking into Christian Horner for
“cross border” behavior.
The announcement that Horner was being investigated by an outside attorney hired by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH
corporation, which is above the racing team, after the 50-year-old received accusations against him from a former
employee, shocked the Formula 1 grid on February 5.
Later, the Associated Press said that it had to do with his management style. Later, however, it was revealed that he
had acted in a “coercive and controlling manner” toward a female employee. At one point, BILD even suggested that
it had to do with the pictures he had sent to the anonymous woman.
However, Motorsport-Total.com now claims that the Verstappens may be responsible for the connections, stating
that it is “no coincidence” that the story was picked up by De Telegraaf after it was published in the Netherlands. It
goes on to say that Jos and Horner’s relationship is severely strained.
Furthermore, despite their eight-year relationship, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen would not support his team
principal in the event of a standoff in Mexico between Horner, Jos Verstappen, and Helmut Marko due to the
ongoing power vacuum left by Dietrich Mateschitz’s passing.
If Horner were forced to quit or chose to do so freely, Red Bull Racing’s current sporting director Jonathan Wheatley
is thought to be Horner’s obvious successor. However, Wheatley currently denies any plans to take over as sporting
director. Red Bull has already stated that he will stay on as full-time employee until their investigation is finished. He
is anticipated to show up for the RB20 2024 automobile debut on Thursday, February 15, particularly after handling
an inquiry on Friday, February 10.
A lawyer questioned Horner for hours on end about allegations involving the female employee, and the hearing
concluded without a conclusion. The hearing ended at 19:00 GMT after eight hours, according to Craig Slater of Sky
Sports. A protracted procedure is anticipated to start, with no immediate conclusion in sight. According to Slater on
Sky Sports News, this will work within the investigator’s timeline rather than a Formula 1 one. “This indicates that
there’s a good chance the process will continue even after Red Bull launches their car on Thursday, February
15th.”As we head into F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain on the 20th of this month, it might even still be going on. It
might continue until the season’s opening Grand Prix on March 2.
“Although it’s uncomfortable for the team, the parties involved must be treated fairly, which is why they hired this
independent investigator in the first place.”
