MILTON KEYNES - The riot within Formula One team Red Bull Racing surrounding the independent investigation into team boss Christian Horner appears to be one of major proportions. The female employee who came forward in December 2023 at the billion-dollar company's headquarters in Austria accuses Horner of sexually transgressive behavior.
The employee turned over app traffic allegedly showing this to the outside lawyer investigating the Horner case. The Telegraph obtained this app traffic. Horner has so far denied all allegations.
The publication by De Telegraaf on Feb. 5 about the investigation by an external, specialized lawyer set up by the Red Bull summit already hit like a bomb in the Formula 1 world. Since then there has been plenty of speculation about the exact allegations made by the employee in question, whose name is known to these editors.
Explosive material
It now appears that the woman's explosive material goes far beyond "just" some voice raising by the powerful team boss and his management style, as has been claimed here and there.
Stories about this have been circulating within the Formula 1 world for months, even as far back as 2023, and were thus already known behind the scenes at the time of the meeting with all team bosses in London, on that same Feb. 5.
App traffic
On Thursday, those sounds surrounding the race team's major presentation were confirmed by multiple sources in Milton Keynes, England.
From the app traffic between the female employee of Red Bull and Horner, viewed by The Telegraph, the picture emerges that Horner (50) sent sexually oriented messages to the employee regularly and over a considerable period of time.
Case covered up
All messages were saved and sent through the employee's lawyer to the external lawyer hired. The lawyer sat for hours with Horner last Friday. Earlier, the reporter had been heard for a long time.
That Horner has done everything possible to cover up the case is also clear. On the weekend before the first publication in The Telegraph - after he was confronted with the investigation into transgressive behavior on Friday evening, February 2, and asked for a response - his lawyers sent a letter within 24 hours to the lawyer assisting the reporter. In it, the Horner camp offered a settlement in the amount of no less than 650,000 pounds, or more than 760,000 euros.
Allegations known to Red Bull top brass
Horner is a well-known figure in Britain not only for his position as Red Bull Racing team boss in the Formula One world (since 2005) and being in charge of more than 1,500 employees. He is also in a relationship with former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and is therefore extra in the spotlight.
The allegations, the app traffic, as well as the tone of the apps are known to Red Bull executives in Austria, including Mark Mateschitz and sports boss Oliver Mintzlaff.
Support from Yoovidhya
Yet Horner has not been suspended for the time being, pending the investigation, and has not decided to step down (temporarily) himself. That has everything to do with the fact that the Brit still has the support of Thai Chalerm Yoovidhya. The latter owns 51 percent of Red Bull and thus holds a majority. The remaining shares, 49 percent, are owned by Mark Mateschitz, the son of Dietrich Mateschitz, who died in 2022.
Horner was at work as usual last period and Thursday at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes also attended the presentation of world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez's new car for the upcoming Formula One season. Next week's test days are scheduled in Bahrain, the venue for the first race of the season a week later (Saturday, March 2).
Better lost than rich
After the team presentation on Thursday, the British driver again denied all allegations against him, stated that he will be in Bahrain next week, did not think about quitting and said that he feels a lot of support within the team and from the Red Bull top.
What is clear, however, is that many insiders, and presumably Horner himself, realize that within that Red Bull top - that is, not from the race team but from the headquarters in Austria - many would rather lose him than be rich.
Known to other key players in F1
Not surprisingly, after questions from De Telegraaf about accusations against Horner, that headquarters confirmed very quickly that an investigation is indeed underway and the matter is being taken "extremely seriously. Horner was unaware of the statement at the time.
The allegations regarding Horner's sexually transgressive behavior are now also known to several other key players in the Formula One world.
Eyes on Liberty Media
In addition, the eyes of American sports owners Liberty Media - which has owned Formula 1 for four billion euros since 2016 - are also focused on the issue and its handling, as are Red Bull's large, American sponsors Oracle and Ford.
Especially in the United States, these kinds of issues surrounding multinationals and world-renowned sports brands are especially sensitive.
To questions about the app traffic, Horner did not want to respond.
