Column: Red Bull's mysterious investigation into Horner overshadowing start of Formula 1 season
Testing for the upcoming Formula 1 season began this week and there was Christian Horner, the head of Red Bull Racing, still leading his team as it begins its bid for a fourth consecutive championship.
Horner was also front and center a week ago at Red Bull's launch of its 2024 car — a virtual highlight reel of the success Horner has built since he became team principal in 2005. Make no mistake, the longest-tenured team leader in the F1 paddock knows how to win: Red Bull has won six constructors' championships and seven drivers' championships under Horner.
But as he continues with "business as normal" — Horner's own words at the launch last week — nobody else can figure out how he has remained on the job during an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct that parent company Red Bull announced on Feb. 5.
More than two weeks later, the motorsports community is engrossed in daily rumors and speculation about what Horner has been accused of doing by a team employee. There has been silence out of Austria since the investigation was announced and a defiant Horner has stated he will be part of the team when the F1 season begins next weekend in Bahrain.
For all the courting of American fans and deals with U.S. corporations done by F1 and owner Liberty Media, the handling of this Horner mess is utterly bizarre. F1 and governing body FIA have both issued statements urging a quick resolution to the investigation — statements that came only after the gossip surrounding Horner had reached tabloid levels — but neither entity is looking into the situation itself.
Over in the United States, minor transgressions in the NFL or NBA can trigger full-scale investigations and league-issued punishments. In NASCAR, the stock car series' sanctioning body suspended driver Noah Gragson for "liking" an insensitive meme on Instagram.
But nothing seems to have changed at all for Horner since Red Bull said it was looking into things. Future engine supplier Ford openly asked for a resolution. Visa, which in January was announced as title sponsor for Red Bull's second team, and main Red Bull sponsor Oracle have both declined comment on the Horner investigation.
In the meantime, details have trickled out. Because much of it has come from Dutch media reports, both three-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen and his father, Jos, have been suggested as the leakers.
What was initially described internally as an investigation into Horner's "aggressive management style" has now shifted to reports of sexual misconduct. There were allegedly nearly 100 pieces of evidence introduced during a deposition of Horner, who allegedly offered his accuser a six-figure settlement.
F1 desperately wants the gossip to stop, especially since the season starts next week and "Drive to Survive" will release its latest installment Friday on Netflix. Horner is in all the trailers.
What's very true is that the knives are out for Horner throughout F1, and his fate is far more complicated than whatever is determined in Red Bull's investigation.