Red Bull dismissed the case against Christian Horner after a female employee had made “inappropriate behavior” allegations against him. After receiving the clean chit, the British boss spoke for the first time in front of the media (as quoted by racefans.net), and claimed that Red Bull is now “stronger than ever“.
The team do indeed need the leadership of Horner as they have a target on their backs this season. Since the Milton Keynes outfit have won both the Drivers’ as well as the Constructors’ Championships for the past two campaigns, they will definitely be the team to beat in 2024 as well.
Amidst such pressure, the team will require the leadership of Horner to guide them through this challenge. Now, with the case having been dismissed against Horner, the 50-year-old is free to lead Red Bull from the front once again.
While addressing the media in Bahrain this weekend, Horner chose to focus on just the race and did not divulge any details about the investigation against him. He presumably chose not to speak about the case as the complainant still has the right to appeal if she is unhappy with the outcome of the investigation.
Why was Christian Horner being investigated by Red Bull GmbH?
Christian Horner landed himself into hot waters in the early days of February. A female co-worker within Red Bull alleged Horner of “inappropriate behavior” towards her. On receiving the complaint, Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of the F1 team, launched an independent investigation against Horner.
The Austrian multinational company wanted to conclude the investigation before the team’s RB20 launch. While they were unable to come to a conclusion by then, Red Bull GmbH did deliver their verdict before the 2024 season officially began in Bahrain this weekend.
As for the allegations against Horner, some reports also went to the extent of claiming that the Briton found himself in the news for all the wrong reasons recently because of a supposed power struggle between him, Helmut Marko, and Jos Verstappen. However, it is pertinent to note that there is no concrete evidence that connects Horner’s investigation of “inappropriate behavior” with that of Red Bull’s power struggle.
That was not the end of Red Bull’s troubles though, as the team’s partners also got involved. Ford, who will partner with Red Bull for the power trains, also expressed their concern with the investigation that was launched against Horner.
