According to reports, Christian Horner made a settlement offer of £650,000 to a writer for the Dutch newspaper
De Telegraaf prior to the public disclosure of allegations of sexual misbehavior involving the principal of a
Formula 1 team from a Red Bull employee.
As an inquiry into reports of “inappropriate behavior” continues ahead of pre-season testing, which gets underway
in Bahrain on Wednesday, February 21, Horner refutes the accusations made by a female Red Bull employee.
As reported by De Telegraaf, who initially revealed the information on the Red Bull team manager, Horner faced
allegations of sexual assault in December 2023.
According to the Dutch media site, Horner sent the employee several sexually provocative messages over a long
period of time, and rumors about them were making the rounds in the F1 paddock during the 2023 season.
Since the De Telegraaf made public the details of the independent Red Bull inquiry, Horner has refuted all of the
allegations.
Since then, Jos Verstappen is said to have leaked the information to the Dutch press, according to Motorsport-
Total.com, and Helmut Marko has not yet defended his colleague in response to questions. It even seems like his
relationship with Adrian Newey is in ruins.
There are rumors that Horner is supported by Chalerm Yoovidhya, a 51 percent shareholder in Red Bull, despite
possible conflicts between Horner, Marko, and other important members of the racing team, such as Oliver
Mintzlaff, director of Red Bull GmbH.
At Red Bull’s car launch in Milton Keynes on Thursday, Horner, along with the rest of the squad, including Newey,
Max Verstappen, and Sergio Perez, performed media responsibilities.
Despite accusations that surfaced in early February, the 50-year-old, who has led the F1 team since its formation
in 2005, maintains that he is receiving adequate assistance.
Horner told the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, “It was inevitable that there would be a distraction, but
the team is very together and everybody’s focused on the season ahead.” Thus, everything has been going pretty
much as usual. Indeed, the assistance has been outstanding.
“I’ve been operating as usual, with a strong emphasis on the next season. It goes without saying that I am
cooperating and giving my whole attention to the investigation. Thus, while getting ready for the upcoming
season, that is definitely happening in the background.We’re in good form and the club seems to be getting ready
for the upcoming season. Our entire attention is on racing, and we can’t wait to visit Bahrain the following week
and watch the RB20 run. And the automobile is the only thing that has everyone’s attention; we are all really
unified and focused on it. The stockholders have been very supportive since Dietrich’s passing and have always
been there for us. Everything is going as usual, and my attention is mostly on the upcoming year and the race that
lies ahead of us.
