This was one of the questions of the Formula 1 preseason: would Christian Horner, the historic boss of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, targeted by an internal investigation for “inappropriate behavior”, be present this weekend? in Bahrain for the first Grand Prix of the season? The answer is yes. The Briton was cleared on Wednesday July 28 following the internal investigation against him, the Austrian company announced.
“The complaint was dismissed,” Red Bull’s parent company said in a statement, “convinced that the investigation was fair, rigorous and impartial.”
Christian Horner, 50, had been in turmoil since the opening of this investigation, announced in early February. He was internally suspected of “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee, according to the foreign press, “allegations” which he has always rejected.
The Englishman never took a back seat
Very few details have leaked since the opening of the procedure by the parent company in Austria, except that the person concerned was heard by a lawyer external to the company.
For his first speech in mid-February, during the presentation of the team’s new single-seater, Horner, who never took a back seat, assured that he would “comply” and “fully collaborate” with the investigation. .
The Englishman, who is married to ex-Spice Girls Geri Halliwell, has been director of Red Bull since the team’s F1 debut in 2005. Under his era, the team won seven World Drivers’ Championship titles. , four for the German Sebastian Vettel (from 2010 to 2013) and three for the Dutchman Max Verstappen (from 2021 to 2023), as well as six world constructors’ crowns (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022 and 2023).
The 2024 season begins this weekend in Bahrain. The Austrian team, which crushed the competition last year by winning 21 of the 22 Grands Prix of the season, is already announced as favorite for the constructors’ and drivers’ titles, with its star driver Max Verstappen.