Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is set to resign, according to a British F1 legend, amid allegations of “inappropriate behavior” made against him.
An internal investigation was conducted ahead of the 2024 season following a complaint by a Red Bull employee, and Horner, married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, was cleared of any wrongdoing just a day before the first test session to come. of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
However, texts allegedly sent by Horner to his colleague were then leaked to a number of key F1 figures and the media 24 hours later, bringing his conduct back into the spotlight.
Horner, 50, continued to maintain his innocence and his Red Bull team made a dominant start to the season, securing successive one-two finishes, but doubts emerged over the future of their star driver Max Verstappen.
Johnny Herbert, who raced in F1 for more than a decade and is now a pundit for Sky Sports, believes the scandal surrounding Horner is an unwanted distraction to the sport and has urged the Red Bull chief to resign, while claiming he has heard Verstappen could soon make a sensational switch to a rival team.
Christian Horner (right) was accused of ‘inappropriate behavior’ by a colleague, but his wife Geri Halliwell (left) stood by him.
Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation, but that verdict has now been appealed and Johnny Herbert (pictured) has called for the Red Bull chief to resign.
Herbert also claimed that Max Verstappen was “very close” to leaving Red Bull to join Mercedes.
“It’s not a good thing for F1 with everything that’s going on and the late heat that comes with it,” Herbert said. Betting Ideas.
“It doesn’t help the situation of Red Bull who currently have the best driver in the world.
“And they are about to exclude (Max Verstappen) from the team, I heard they are very close to the agreement with Mercedes. This seems like a stupid thing to do, their biggest asset isn’t the Christian Horner show.
“It would be crazy if Max left because of the situation. Jos said it would be very destructive and would tear him apart and I think this has gone on for too long. In some ways, Christian should really think about this and step aside.
Verstappen’s father Jos reportedly recently told friends his son would leave Red Bull if he had to, identifying Mercedes as a possible option, and Herbert appears to think the move is definitely a possibility.
A free seat is expected to be available at Mercedes at the end of the season, with Lewis Hamilton expected to join Ferrari ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Herbert is not the only big name to call for Horner to resign, as Michael Schumacher’s brother Ralf also believes he should leave his post.
Ralf recently accused Horner of causing “immense damage” at Red Bull and criticized Halliwell’s husband for “presenting himself as a victim”.
Horner and Halliwell held hands on race day in Bahrain in a public display of unity
But Ralf Schumacher (pictured) also called for Horner’s resignation and criticized his conduct.
Halliwell has supported Horner in recent weeks, with the pair making a public display of unity by holding hands on race day at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this month.
But Horner is not out of the woods yet, as his accuser has launched an appeal against Red Bull’s investigation which cleared him of any wrongdoing.
She is said to be unhappy not to have received the entire sexual file before the internal investigation rendered its verdict.
After a break last weekend, F1 is set to resume this week with Horner and his colleagues arriving in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.