The Christian Horner-Red Bull saga keeps getting more bizarre by the day. Despite Horner remaining adamant that his future at Red Bull is secure, F1-Insider.com has reportedly claimed that he is on the verge of facing the axe. However, the reason behind his imminent dismissal is one of the most bizarre rumors in this entire saga. They suggest that iconic Irish rock band, U2 is set to release a song about Horner titled – ‘Don’t be Ho*ny, be a Christian’. This could force the hands of the Bulls’ Thai owners to pull the plug on Horner.
But why would U2 get themselves embroiled in this F1 controversy? Well, the report goes on to establish that the complainant’s brother, who alleged “inappropriate behavior” against the Red Bull boss, is the son-in-law of the band’s guitarist ‘The Edge’. And the band’s global acclaim is enough to put pressure on Red Bull to sack the 50-year-old in the coming weeks.
Christian Horner is reportedly set to be let go by Red Bull before the Australian GP, according to @F1insidercom
[https://t.co/KboTXhfCAe] pic.twitter.com/5WogzUeOKz
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) March 10, 2024
After the complaint was lodged, Horner was put under investigation by Red Bull GmbH. However, an independent barrister dismissed the complaint against the Briton and it seemed as though a line was drawn under the matter. However, in the aftermath of the results of the investigation, civil war started brewing within the Red Bull camp with Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko in opposition to Horner.
While Horner would have believed that the worst was behind him, the pressure keeps mounting on him with each passing day.
Christian Horner sees his Red Bull future slipping away
U2’s rumored involvement is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the factors at play in the entire saga. In addition to the internal power struggle that seems to have ensued, the female employee has also been reportedly suspended, as reported by Autosport.
This has put the Thai owners of the team in another predicament. The fear is that the female employee might go public and challenge the results of the investigation. The resulting backlash is something that the owners of Red Bull desperately want to avoid.
| According to RTL, Christian Horner is said to have paid the female employee a settlement of 700,000 euros.
Red Bull is said to have increased the sum to one million.#F1 pic.twitter.com/VSBs3f0Cyp
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 9, 2024
One of the major factors that see Horner still assume the role of team principal at the Bulls is the fact that the Thai faction of the outfit is still in his corner. But if the Thai half of the Red Bull hierarchy pulls their support, then, Horner most definitely could lose his seat of power in the team.
Horner has been trying to mitigate the situation in any way possible with rumors of a settlement of around $750,000 being offered by him to the complainant which was revised to a million-dollar figure by the team.
