Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s fate set to be decided before Bahrain GP

LONDON – Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who has denied allegations by a female employee of “improper” conduct, could be out of a job or cleared to continue before Formula One’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.

Well-placed sources told Reuters on Feb 26 that they expected an announcement from Red Bull’s Salzburg-based Austrian parent company before the race at Sakhir and possibly within the next 48 hours.

An investigation into the sport’s longest-serving team boss, and husband of former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, has been ongoing since January, although details emerged publicly on Feb 5.

The British-based team have no control over the independent process.

Neither the energy drink company nor the reigning champions have said what the allegations are, although various media have reported that it involves inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards a female colleague.

Formula One, owned by United States-based Liberty Media, has said that it hopes the matter “will be clarified at the earliest opportunity, after a fair and thorough process”.

The sport and its governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), are known to want the matter cleared up as soon as possible to avoid it hanging over the racing this weekend.

Horner was interviewed by an independent barrister on Feb 9 and the final report, submitted to Red Bull GmbH in Austria, is believed to be based on some 60 hours of interviews with all parties.

Sky Sports television reported the document amounted to well over 100 pages, but the details are likely to remain confidential.

Horner, 50, said at the launch of his team’s RB20 car in Milton Keynes earlier in February that it was “business as usual” while the probe was ongoing.

“Inevitably there has been a distraction, but the team are very together and everybody is focused on the season ahead,” he said. “It’s been very much business as normal. The support has been fantastic.”

He added that he was confident and cooperating with the process and denied “absolutely any allegation that’s been made against me”.

Horner attended testing in Bahrain last week but returned to Britain and has been working at the Milton Keynes factory.

He would normally travel to Bahrain on Feb 28, with Feb 29 the first day of practice before qualifying on March 1. The race is being held on a Saturday to allow Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to host races before the start of Ramadan.

Should he be forced out of Red Bull, it would come as a seismic shock for the sport.

Horner and his team celebrated the most dominant season in Formula One history last season, with Red Bull winning 21 of 22 races, and will start the new season with Dutch driver Max Verstappen chasing a fourth successive title.

The team’s other driver is Mexican Sergio Perez.

Red Bull are also building up a powertrain operation at Milton Keynes before entering the new engine era in 2026 in partnership with Ford. REUTERS, AFP