Christian Horner has been photographed for the first time since he was cleared of “coercive behaviour” towards a female colleague on Wednesday.
The Red Bull boss, who earns £8 million a year, was the subject of an internal investigation after allegations first came to light publicly on February 5.
Horner, wife of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, denied all allegations and presented her case to a KC, who was appointed as an internal investigator by the team that is the current world champion.
On Wednesday it emerged that the 50-year-old had been cleared of the allegations and would continue in his role.
And on Thursday, he was spotted in Bahrain ahead of the first practice session at the season-opening Grand Prix.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has been pictured for the first time since he was cleared of allegations of “coercive behaviour” towards a female colleague on Wednesday afternoon.
The allegations, which first emerged on February 5, have dominated F1 for the past month.
Horner, 50, is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, and on Wednesday afternoon he discovered he had been acquitted and it would keep his £8million-a-year job running Red Bull.
Horner was photographed having breakfast before the first practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Horner was seen alongside Red Bull lead designer Adrian Newey at breakfast and appeared to be in good spirits under the Bahraini sun.
The news that Horner would keep his job electrified a cool evening meadow in Bahrain on Wednesday.
Horner, 50, had repeatedly insisted he was not going anywhere throughout the investigation.
The findings greeted him when he landed in the Gulf Kingdom, with a statement from the world champion team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, in Salzburg, saying: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed.
‘The plaintiff has the right to appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
‘The investigation report is confidential and contains 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 those involved. “Red Bull will continue to strive to meet the highest standards in the workplace.”
The exact nature of the allegations is unknown.
Horner was questioned by a KC for a full day at a secret location last month as the lawyer gathered evidence he wrote into 150 pages for the Red Bull board’s determination over the past few days.
The allegations were made by a close colleague at Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, confirming an internal investigation on February 5.
Horner was awaiting his award as he took his private jet on the 3,000-mile journey from the UK to Bahrain for the season-opening race this Saturday.
Horner was awaiting his award as he took his private jet on the 3,000-mile journey from the UK to Bahrain for the season-opening race this Saturday.
He was said to be in good spirits as the day progressed, hoping his name would be cleared upon landing in the Gulf kingdom on Wednesday afternoon. She did not appear in the paddock.
Former pop star Geri, mother of his seven-year-old son Monty, has staunchly supported him throughout the ordeal. She is said to be “devastated” by the impact on her lives, which they split between her farm (and stables) in Oxfordshire and a house in north London.
Horner has won 13 world championships since leading the team as a 31-year-old in 2005. He was then the youngest team manager on the grid, but is now the longest-serving team manager.
He attended pre-season testing in Bahrain last week before returning home, and his position seemingly strengthened as the days progressed.
But he appeared to face forces aligned against him within the organization, despite the veracity of the allegations.
Ford, which will partner with Red Bull from 2026, led calls for a quick conclusion to the saga. In a letter written last Friday, CEO Jim Farley expressed his displeasure over “unresolved allegations of inappropriate behavior by Red Bull Racing leadership.”
F1’s American owners, Liberty Media, echoed those calls for clarity from the get-go.
Horner was later photographed arriving at the Paddock before the first practice session began.
Throughout the investigation, he maintained his innocence and insisted he was not going anywhere.
Horner’s position was also apparently undermined by the death of the energy drinks magnate who gave him his big break 19 years ago at the helm of the new Red Bull team. Dietrich Mateschitz died in 2022 of cancer, a tragedy that inevitably shook the management structure, leaving executives fighting for positions. A key driver is believed to have been Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO and former CEO of RB Leipzig, who was said to have resented Horner’s power.
Horner, however, maintained the support of Red Bull’s Thai faction, led by Chalerm Yoovidhya, son of the firm’s co-founder Chaleo. Chalerm, as heir to the company’s fortune with a 51 per cent stake, is estimated to be worth £30bn. He appeared intermittently at races and could be seen in long, friendly chats with the Englishman, even as Verstappen claimed the third of his consecutive world titles in Qatar last October.
Another significant voice was that of Red Bull’s 80-year-old motorsports advisor Dr Helmut Marko, an Austrian believed to be more in line with Mintzlaff than Horner.
“Marko had his contract renewed last year, but his money was halved,” said one well-placed F1 figure. “There is this idea that he wanted revenge on Horner and wanted him gone.”
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