Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner has been cleared of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague following an internal investigation. Earlier this month the drinks company launched an investigation into his behaviour but it says it has found no evidence.
As Horner travelled to Bahrain for the F1 season-opener, Red Bull issued an official statement explaining that claims of wrongdoing against him had been dismissed.
A statement issued by the Red Bull company in Austria said: “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.”
“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. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”
Red Bull appointed an independent barrister to conduct the investigation into the unspecified claims made against Horner. The probe included lengthy interviews with the individuals at the centre of the case and has taken several weeks. But it hasn’t disclosed any further details about what the matter was really about.
It said, however, that it was fully confident the investigation had been conducted in a “fair, rigorous and impartial” manner.
It added: “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. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”
Horner’s exoneration ends a difficult few weeks for him, where he has been at the centre of intense media speculation and questions over his future.
The decision by Red Bull, which follows a meeting of the company’s board of directors, comes after an eight-week investigation which became public early this month. Before the announcement, earlier on Wednesday, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton joined the growing voices for the matter to be resolved.
He said the investigation was a “really important moment to make sure we stand true to our values”.
The seven-time world champion added: “We always have to do more to try to make the sport and the environment people work in feel safe and inclusive, and any allegations have to be taken very seriously.”
Earlier this week, Red Bull’s future engine partner Ford also pressed for the matter to be concluded swiftly and with full transparency.
Ford CEO Jim Farley wrote a letter to Red Bull this week saying that his company was “increasingly frustrated, however, by the lack of resolution or clear indication from you about when you anticipate a fair and just resolution of this matter.”
Timeline
- Late January social media rumours start surfacing of a senior member of a team being accused of inappropriate and controlling behaviour.
- 01 February These rumours die down for a few days after Lewis Hamilton announces he will leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the year.
- 05 February Dutch media name Horner as the person at the centre of these allegations in response he says “I completely deny these claims”.
- 09 February Horner is interviewed by a lawyer for several hours, but the hearing finished without resolution.
- 15 February The allegations overshadowed the launch of Red Bull’s new car, when Horner again denied the allegations and told the BBC it was “a distraction” for his team.
- 21 – 23 February Testing, Mercedes CEO & team principal Toto Wolff called for the investigation to be transparent and said it was “an issue for all of Formula 1”.
F1, the sport’s commercial rights holders, had urged Red Bull to clarify the matter “at the earliest opportunity after a fair and thorough process”.
Governing body the FIA has said it will not comment until the investigation is complete, but added: “The FIA remains committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, fairness and inclusivity within the sport.”
Christian Horner
Horner has been Red Bull’s team principal since they first entered in 2005 and has gone on to win seven drivers’ championships and six constructors’ championships with the team. He ways the youngest team principal and is currently the longest-serving team boss in the sport.
A former racing driver he turned his hand to management in 1997, before attempting to buy Jordan, now Aston Martin the year before Red Bull brought Jaguar in 2004 when he was appointed team principal in 2005. He was then given the additional title of CEO in recent years
Following Red Bull’s record-breaking success last year in which the team won 21 of 22 races as Max Verstappen claimed his third world title, his OBE was upgraded to a CBE by King Charles III. He married Spice Girl Geri Halliwell in Bedfordshire in 2015, who he has one child with as well as a daughter from a previous marriage, as well as a stepdaughter from Halliwell’s previous relationship with screenwriter Sacha Gervasi.
