Max Verstappen and Red Bull's start to the 2024 Formula One season has been overshadowed by allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" against team principal Christian Horner.
Red Bull said it took the claims, which emerged at the start of February, "extremely seriously". Horner completely denied any wrongdoing.
Verstappen stormed to victory in Bahrain despite the noise surrounding the team, as he aims to win his fourth consecutive F1 Drivers' Championship.
Before the opening grand prix of the season, an email had been sent to hundreds of journalists purportedly containing images of messages Horner had sent to the individual who first lodged the complaint.
On the eve of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull suspended the accuser, while Horner insisted the time had come to "draw a line under" the incident.
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Christian Horner accuser suspended by Red Bull
The day before qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, it was widely reported that Red Bull had suspended the employee who had lodged a complaint of inappropriate behaviour against Christian Horner.
The team principal attended the official FIA press conference ahead of the race in Jeddah and said: "I am afraid I can't comment on anything that is confidential between an employee and the company.
"There is a grievance process that takes place in any company and that process is confidential between the individuals and the company itself.
"Due to those confidentiality [reasons] and out of respect to the company, and the other party, we are all bound by those same restrictions. So even if I would like to talk about it, I can't because of those restrictions."
Horner added that "the time now is to draw a line" under the matter.
"Intrusion on my family is enough."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 7, 2024
F1 boss Christian Horner refuses to comment on his accuser's suspension during a news conference.
This comes after a female colleague's suspension following an investigation into a claim of inappropriate behaviour.https://t.co/ZYp2iXSCeJ pic.twitter.com/yNHLdLaEVH
"An awful lot has been made out of this," he said. "It is of great interest in different areas of the media for different reasons.
"I'm very fortunate that I have a beautiful family and a very supportive wife. And I'm the only one who has been named in this.
"So of course it's very trying, it's very challenging, because when there's children involved, when there's families, parents et cetera involved, it's not pretty."
Horner denied the allegations made by the Red Bull employee and an internal investigation let to the matter being dismissed by the board.
However, an email containing images saved via a Google Drive link was then sent to various journalists and key figures in F1 shortly after the investigation's findings were confirmed. The images in question were purportedly of messages exchanged between Horner and the female employee who lodged the initial complaint. Many of them were apparently leaked on social media.
According to The Guardian, the email was sent three times from two different addresses under the subject "Christian Horner investigation evidence". The email also stated: "Following Red Bull's recent investigation and statements you will be interested to see the materials attached."
The veracity of the email's content has not been verified and Horner himself insisted he would not comment on "anonymous speculation" after having been cleared of wrongdoing by the independent investigation, which was carried out by an English barrister.
Horner added, however: "But to reiterate I have always denied the allegations, I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation, conducted by an independent specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season."
What were the allegations against Christian Horner?
Red Bull's parent company, which owns the F1 team, opened an internal investigation into Horner after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made against him by a female colleague.
Further allegation emerged via Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The Sun reports that Horner is understood to be taking legal action against the publication.
"After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation," Red Bull GmbH said in a statement.
"This process, which is already underway, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister. The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
What was the Christian Horner verdict?
On February 28, a spokesperson for Red Bull GmbH said: "The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."
According to Sky Sports, the barrister's report ran to more than 100 pages.
Horner was at an F1 commission meeting when the verdict was released. He was not suspended during the course of the investigation and was present at both Red Bull's 2024 car launch and pre-season testing in Bahrain.
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What has Christian Horner said about the allegations?
Speaking at Red Bull's season launch, Horner reiterated his denial and said his team had been "tremendously supportive".
"I deny the allegations that have been made but I'm going through a process and respect that process," he said.
"For me, it's business as normal, focused on the season ahead. Of course it is a distraction for the team.
"The team is very together, very focused on the season ahead and have been tremendously supportive."
Horner's Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff said the case was "an issue for all of Formula One".
"If it is done in the right way with transparency and rigour, we need to look at the outcomes and what it means for F1 and how we can learn from that," Wolff said in Bahrain last week.
"We want to talk about sport rather than these kind of very, very critical topics."
Wolf added: "F1 and the teams, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity. And it is not only talking about it, it is living it day in and day out. These are the standards we are setting ourselves. We are a global sport, one of the most important sports in the world, and we are role models.
"But there is a lot of speculation happening over the last weeks — speculation we have heard of, and lots of things that are going on. It is not just a team issue. It is an issue for all of F1."
Ford, which will partner Red Bull from 2026, criticised the team for a "lack of transparency" over the Horner saga.
In a letter seen and reported by the Associated Press, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the automotive giant was "increasingly frustrated... by the lack of resolution or clear indication from you about when you anticipate a fair and just resolution of this matter."
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Who is Cristian Horner's wife?
The allegations against Horner garnered the sort of tabloid interest you would not normally associate with a story concerning a motor racing administrator.
The reason is the 50-year-old's marriage to pop star Geri Halliwell, a former member of the Spice Girls.
Coverage in the showbiz and entertainment pages of the media has focused on Halliwell's experience of the saga.
Prior to the alleged exchange of messages being leaked, a source purportedly close to the singer was quoted as having told the Sun newspaper in the U.K.: "Geri has been in floods of tears. She is insisting Christian has done nothing wrong."
