- Horner has been accused of “inappropriate behavior” by an employee
- Even so, he attended a secret day of filming for the new Red Bull car on Tuesday.
- It is expected to be on track when Red Bull launches its new car on Thursday.
Christian Horner is reportedly planning to attend the launch of Red Bull’s new car on Thursday, despite calls for the team principal to resign after being accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.
The accusation of “extremely controlling behaviour” was made by a Red Bull employee earlier this month, but Horner strongly denies any wrongdoing.
An internal investigation into his conduct has been launched and Horner attended a hearing last Friday, but it is not yet known whether he will face any sanctions. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has urged her to resign to avoid harm to her wife Geri Halliwell and her family, and the former Spice Girl is “devastated” by the allegations leveled against her husband.
But Horner appears to have no intention of doing this and attended a secret filming day with Red Bull at Silverstone on Tuesday.
He is expected to return to the famous race track on Thursday when he officially unveils his new RB20 car, according to reports. Telegraaf.
Christian Horner is under investigation after being accused of “inappropriate behavior” by a Red Bull employee
Bernie Ecclestone has called for Horner to resign, but Horner attended a secret filming day with Red Bull on Tuesday and is reportedly planning to be at the launch of their new car.
The secret filming day took place at Silverstone, and Red Bull will launch its new RB20 at the same circuit on Thursday.
Teams are allowed two days of secret filming over the course of the season, and Red Bull has opted to use one of its own before conducting three days of pre-season testing.
Uncertainty over Horner’s future could also continue for some time; De Telegraaf also reported that a final verdict on his behavior may not be published for weeks.
This could mean Horner’s position is not resolved before the 2024 season begins, with the first race of the campaign scheduled for March 2 in Bahrain.
The ongoing saga threatens to disrupt Red Bull’s preparations as they look to continue their dominance of recent seasons.
Max Verstappen has won three consecutive world titles and Red Bull enjoyed the most dominant season in the sport’s history last year when it won 21 of 22 races.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez tested their new cars under gray skies in the UK on Tuesday, and are expected to be at the front of the pack again this season.
But it is still not guaranteed that Horner – who has held a position at Red Bull since 2005 – will be there to lead the team, which could open the door for Ferrari and Mercedes to start closing the gap.