Christian Horner could learn his fate very soon with the investigation into the Red Bull boss set to conclude over the next week.
Horner has been under investigation for several weeks after a female employee of Red Bull accused the team principal of ‘inappropriate and controlling behaviour’.
The 50-year-old says he ‘fully denies’ the claims and has been at F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain this week, insisting it is ‘business as normal’.
Horner, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has been grilled by an independent lawyer who has been assigned to the case.
The investigation has overshadowed the build-up to the start of the 2024 season, a situation Red Bull had hoped to avoid, with the first race of the year next weekend at the Sakhir circuit.
F1, the FIA and several other team principals have called for a swift, transparent and proper investigation, with McLaren’s Zak Brown saying: ‘The allegations are extremely serious.’
It was thought that the matter would not be resolved for several more weeks, but reports now claim that the lawyer in charge will hand his findings into parent company Red Bull GmbH in the new few days.
Christian Horner investigation timeline
How the scandal has unfolded…
Monday 5 February – Red Bull confirm investigation into Horner over ‘controlling behaviour’ allegations
Friday 9 February – Horner grilled by independent lawyer during eight-hour hearing
Thursday 15 February – Horner attends Red Bull’s 2024 car launch and publicly addresses allegations for first time – says he ‘fully denies’ any wrongdoing
Friday 16 February – Fresh allegations emerge in Dutch Newspaper De Telegraaf suggesting Horner sent messages of a ‘suggestive nature’ to a female employee
Wednesday 21 February to Friday 23 February – Formula 1 pre-season testing
Friday 23 February – Sixth series of F1: Drive to Survive releases on Netflix – Horner likely to once again feature heavily in docuseries
Thursday 29 February to Saturday 2 March – Formula 1 season gets underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix
As such, a decision on Horner’s future is expected to be made next week ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Horner had previously stated that he had the support of his team and its two drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Verstappen, who is tipped to win a fourth straight championship in 2024, finally broke his silence on the matter on Friday, saying: ‘I mean in terms of talking about that, it’s not that suddenly sat here, that I can speak about things.
‘So it’s better that I just focus on my own performance because that’s already the day job.
‘But I guess, of course, for everyone, it’s nice, of course, when things are resolved. But that’s the only thing that I can say about that.
‘Everyone who is here, they’re all focusing on the performance of the car, as they should. Everyone knows their role and everyone is very focused on trying to make the whole package faster.’
Christian Horner investigation – what we know
Horner was very open when denying the accusations at Red Bull’s car launch last week, but has been far more reserved in Bahrain.
He said on Thursday: ‘There is a process underway and since I am part of it, I cannot comment on it. We hope there is a resolution as soon as possible.’
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