Christian Horner has been exonerated of wrongdoing following an examination into complaints of improper behaviour made by a staff member.
However, as reported by France’s L’Equipe, Horner has been cleared, but the conflict is far from done.
Despite pleas for clarity and transparency before the track action begins in Bahrain on Thursday, Red Bull’s media statement released on Wednesday does not go into detail about the allegations or why Horner was found not guilty.
Red Bull is satisfied that the inquiry was fair, rigorous, and impartial, according to a statement released by Red Bull GmbH, which also stated that the facts of the investigator’s more than 100-page report are confidential.
We will not speak further out of respect for everyone involved, the energy drink firm added. Red Bull will continue to strive for the best workplace standards.
So why hasn’t the ‘conflict’ ended yet? For starters, the complainant, who is still employed at Milton-Keynes, has been granted the chance to appeal, prompting suspicion that she may file a civil suit.
However, Red Bull Racing is more concerned with the apparent power struggle between the parent company’s Austrian and Thai sections.
Some speculate that Adrian Newey may have had a falling out with Horner, 50, over the issue, while Red Bull foe Toto Wolff may be putting out feelers to Max Verstappen to see if he wants to change ship for 2025.
I’d be shocked if they (Mercedes) hadn’t contacted him, Dr Helmut Marko told Austrian daily Kronen Zeitung. Fortunately, Max is a very faithful driver.
Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher believes the Horner incident has revealed and increased strife among the sport’s most dominating squad at the moment.
Many things had broken there, he told Sky Deutschland. “They need to rectify that right now.
The problem is that you get the idea that some people on the team wanted to get rid of Horner, Schumacher said.
There was a lot of battling, and the question now is whether he will be able to keep his position and gain the support of the entire squad.
Horner, although being trackside in Bahrain, was not available to the media on Wednesday. When asked if he still supports Horner, Verstappen responded immediately prior to Red Bull’s statement: “Well, I’m trusting the process.
I do not want to get into it. Because that is not my case, and I do not wish to become engaged in it. However, when it comes to performance, the triple world champion emphasized the importance of everyone working together.
However, with the larger power battle likely still unfolding behind the scenes, Verstappen, 26, a prominent figure in Red Bull’s current domination, may be probed about the scandal throughout the 2024 season.
According to Tobias Gruner, a writer for Auto Motor und Sport, many in the paddock believe Verstappen’s team leaked information of the claims to the Dutch press on multiple occasions.
Leave a Reply