Horner cleared of any wrongdoing

Christian Horner has been clear of any wrongdoing by an independent investigation set by Red Bull GmbH, following allegations made by a female member of the company’s Formula 1 team of improper behaviour.

The conclusion of the investigation was announced less than 24 hours before the start of track action in Bahrain this weekend, finally bringing an end to the saga that threatened to seriously disrupt the dominance of the Austrian team.

In a short statement issued on Wednesday night, Red Bull declared that, “the independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr. Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal.”

With no details about the real nature of the complaint and the process that was followed during the investigation being available, a spokesperson for Red Bull Racing added that, “Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial”, but also made it clear no further details would be provided.

According to the same spokesperson, “the investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned”, before concluding that, “Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”

Christian Horner is cleared to work as per usual ahead of the Bahrain GP. Image: Mark Sutton / Sutton Images.

While Red Bull believes the matter is now closed and has clearly shown no intention of providing further details into the allegations and the process that led to Horner being clear of any wrongdoing, this story is unlikely to go away any time sooner, as the lack of clarity will be a fertile field for growing rumours.

The team will constantly be forced to deny rumours, also needing to work internally to diffuse any pressure which will leave Horner losing time he’d rather be spending to fulfil his main roles – Team Principal, running the factory and the race team, CEO of Red Bull Powertrains, representing the team in all teams and manufacturers’ meetings, etc. – and there will always be the suspicion of a secret deal being done with the accuser to let the allegations go away.

Time will tell how Horner and Red Bull will deal with the aftermath of this unpleasant episode and how its consequences will impact on the British manager’s ability to continue doing his jobs.

For now, though, the race team has received the official statement from the parent company with great relief and has been able to fully focus on the task of racing in Bahrain, leaving the turmoil behind – at least for now.

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