Red Bull hope to conclude its investigation into the conduct of team principle Christian Horner early next week.
The 50-year-old is battling to save his position as the team principle of the dominant force in Formula 1.
Horner, the husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, strenuously denies the allegations which originally centered on his alleged controlling behaviour towards a female member of staff.
Speaking at the launch of his team’s car ahead of the upcoming new season, Horner insisted it was ‘business as usual’ despite having been grilled by his employers for over eight hours less than a week earlier.
He said: ‘It’s business as usual. There obviously is a process.
‘Obviously, I fully deny any accusations that have been made against me but of course I’ll work with that process, which I hope is concluded in the near future.’
He later added: ‘The support from within the business, of our partners, within the industry, has been overwhelming.
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
‘Moments of uncertainty, it brings the team together, and I’ve never seen a team more together, or more supportive than it is.
‘Everybody is focused on one thing, which is the performance of that car, to go out and defend both of the world titles that we’ve worked so hard to achieve over the last couple of years.
‘So the car is what everybody is invested in, and I look forward to seeing it in action in Bahrain next week.’
An ongoing crisis, however, deepened on Friday after fresh claims were made by De Telegraaf,containing an accusation of sexual misconduct, based on messages allegedly sent by Horner.
The Dutch publication claims to have seen Whatsapp which are said to have been ‘suggestive’ in nature.
These fresh accusations are likely to further test the resolve of Halliwell, who has stood by her man over the course of the last fortnight.
The 51-year-old was reported to have been in ‘floods of tears’ upon learning of the original allegations.
‘She will smile and do all she can to keep them together,’ one insider told the Mail of the ex-pop star who married her husband nine years ago.
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