Christian Horner has recently landed himself in hot waters after allegations of “inappropriate behavior“ surfaced against him. The nature of the allegations is so strong that the Red Bull boss might lose his job if found guilty. Red Bull confirmed that they were investigating the allegations and will make a decision soon about Horner’s future. Amid this, Jos Verstappen, the father of Max Verstappen, chose to distance himself from Horner.
Notably, the details about the allegations first leaked from the Netherlands. This is quite absurd in nature, given the base of the team is in Milton-Keynes, and the side is from Austria.
However, there is one possible explanation for the same. Horner and the Verstappen camp are reportedly having a power struggle at the moment, and this also involves Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
According to multiple reports, the personal relationship between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner has been severely damaged over the last few months. Furthermore, Max Verstappen made his loyalties to his father and Helmut Marko abundantly clear.
Helmut Marko was asked if he wasn’t actually behind a conspiracy against Christian Horner
His reply:
“Horner has done a great job over the years.”[@MST_ChristianN] pic.twitter.com/XCilzsq1GG
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) February 7, 2024
Surprisingly, the controversy also involves former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone. Ecclestone is supposedly a close ally to Horner, as per motorsport.com, and is supporting the 50-year-old in these times.
How did Christian Horner get into the controversy?
According to reports from Motorsport Total, Christian Horner’s conduct with a co-worker inside from the Red Bull team was deemed “inappropriate“. The unnamed person made these allegations. However, there were also allegations made against Horner that were based on his aggressive style of management.
Soon after this, the Red Bull parent company advised Horner to step down from the top position. Furthermore, the British boss also lost the support of the Yoovidhya family, who owns 51% of Red Bull GmbH.
| The allegation made against Christian Horner is based upon his aggressive style of management. The details of the specific complaint will be weighed up as part of the investigation.
A hearing on the matter will be held on Friday, with Horner in attendance.
The team’s F1… pic.twitter.com/ir0uM350rR
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) February 6, 2024
Red Bull also announced on Monday that an independent investigative lawyer would question the 50-year-old. The company would then make a decision based on the reports of the investigation.
As things stand, the Milton-Keynes-based team would want to wrap everything up before they reveal their 2024 F1 challenger on February 15. Meanwhile, Christian Horner has publicly and categorically denied all the accusations against him. For now, he is presumed innocent until the results of the investigation prove otherwise.
