Red Bull director Christian Horner cleared after internal investigation for ‘inappropriate behavior’

After carrying out its own internal investigation, the Austrian team decided to retain its director, as it announced in a press release on Wednesday.

After much speculation, the “Horner affair” is over. Red Bull Racing announced on Wednesday February 28 that its director since its creation in 2005, Christian Horner, had been cleared after the end of the internal investigation against him. The latter was accused according to the newspaper De Telegraaf [article payant en néerlandais] to have had “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee of the firm. “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner has been completed and Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed.explains the team in its press release.

Red Bull wanted to clarify the situation before the start of the season, Saturday March 2, during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Christian Horner, aged 50 and married to ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, had been under intense pressure since the affair began. But the team decided to maintain its confidence in him, also ensuring “that the investigation was fair, rigorous and impartial”. However, she specifies that “the party who filed the complaint has a right of appeal”.

Longest serving team boss

Before this final decision, Ford, partner of Red Bull, had raised his voice publicly so that the matter could be clarified as quickly as possible. In a letter dated February 24, which the Associated Press agency was able to consult, the boss of the American brand, Jim Farley, expressed his dissatisfaction with the “Unresolved allegations of inappropriate behavior by Red Bull Racing executives”. And the Ford boss added that his company felt “frustrated by the lack of full transparency in this matter with us, your business partners, and we look forward to receiving a full accounting of all findings.”

Red Bull will therefore be able to continue with its thinking head. Reigning world champion, the bull stable has won seven world drivers’ titles (four for the German Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013, three for the Dutchman Max Verstappen from 2021 to 2023) under the direction of Christian Horner, who remains the longest-serving team boss in office.