Christian Horner cleared by Red Bull investigation and keeps team principal role - Planet F1

Christian Horner will retain his role as Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal after being cleared of an investigation into him by Red Bull.

50-year-old Horner was confirmed as the subject of an investigation at the start of February by parent company Red Bull GmbH after a complaint was reportedly made from a female employee regarding his behaviour, an allegation Horner has always denied.

After weeks of investigation, including a face-to-face interview with the team principal and CEO in London, Red Bull have decided Horner will remain in his role.

Christian Horner survives Red Bull investigation

Horner was first put in the spotlight on February 5 when Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reported he was being investigated by Red Bull Gmbh following allegations of inappropriate behaviour made in his role as team principal.

An external lawyer was hired by Red Bull and met with the team boss at an undisclosed London location on February 9 where he was grilled for a reported nine hours.

But despite the investigation, Horner continued to serve in his team principal role and was present at both the car launch of the RB20 in Milton Keynes and pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Englishman is also scheduled to be with the team for the opening race this weekend.

Red Bull have however now deemed that Horner did not act inappropriately and closed the investigation into him.

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.”

Horner is the first and to-date only team principal of Red Bull having been chosen to lead the project in 2005. Under his leadership, Red Bull won seven Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ crowns and are favourites to retain both in the 2024 season.

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Horner started his career as a driver but quickly moved into the management side of things. He set up his own Formula 3000 team Arden where he first came across Helmut Marko who sold him a trailer.

In 2005 and after Red Bull bought the Jaguar F1 team, they approached Horner to run the organisation, a position he duly accepted and one which made him youngest team principal at the time.

A key figure in attracting Adrian Newey to the team, Red Bull won their first title in 2010 with Sebastian Vettel with the German securing four championships in a row.

Falling behind Mercedes at the start of the new engine regulations in 2014, Red Bull and Horner were made to wait seven years for their next title – won by Max Verstappen in dramatic circumstances at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

But come the 2022 regulation changes, Red Bull emerged as the dominant force, winning both titles in the first season before clinching victory at all but one of the races in 2023 and making it one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history.

Red Bull are expected to be frontrunners again for the title this season with the team looking to bring their seventh Constructors’ crown back to their Milton Keynes base.

Read next: Are there too many cooks in the Red Bull kitchen?

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Christian Horner cleared by Red Bull investigation and keeps team principal role - Planet F1
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