Christian Horner attends Red Bull hearing as F1 career hangs in balance

09 February 2024 , 07:00

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Christian Horner is driven from his home to attend his Red Bull hearing on Friday (Image: Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)

Christian Horner will today have the chance to present his case to the investigator in charge of assessing the allegation of inappropriate behaviour made against him by a Red Bull Racing colleague.

A female employee of the Formula 1 race team went to the Red Bull parent company with the complaint, sparking the investigation. Horner has spoken publicly of the matter only to strongly deny the allegations against him.

He will today attend a meeting - which is being held at a secret location - where he will be quizzed on details of the complaint by the external investigator hired by Red Bull to take charge of the case. He will also have the chance to explain his side of the story.

Horner remains in his post as team principal and chief executive of Red Bull Racing while the investigation is ongoing. But a decision over his future in those roles is not anticipated on Friday.

Instead, the investigator in charge is likely to at least take the weekend to consider all the facts before presenting their findings and recommendations to Red Bull early next week. The racing team hopes to have the matter resolved before its season launch event next Thursday, February 15.

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What happens next will depend on those findings. If he is cleared of wrongdoing then Horner should be able to continue in his role as before, but there is also the possibility that he could be relieved of the team principal role he has held since 2005 if there is found to be significant evidence against him.

Christian Horner has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a colleague (Getty Images)

It is not immediately clear who would step up to replace him as team principal should such an appointment be necessary. Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull Racing's sporting director who has been with the team for almost as long as Horner has, will be a strong candidate. Oliver Mintzlaff, managing director of Red Bull GmbH, may choose to install himself in a senior role.

What there is no doubt of, though, is that this matter has cast a dark shadow over the team's preparations for the season. Red Bull Racing staff were caught off-guard by the investigation, which was announced on Monday by the parent company with little-to-no warning.

The season gets under way next month, the first race taking place at the Sakhir circuit on Saturday, March 2. Red Bull Racing head into it as the defending champions, but it remains to be seen whether Horner will still be leading the team.

Daniel Moxon