The Christian Horner controversy at Red Bull Racing

In contrast, team principal of bitter rival Mercedes Toto Wolff was out and about here, putting in a morning appearance at the Mercedes-AMG Lounge on Friday and happily chatting with fans.

Wolff has made no secret of his desire to sign Red Bull’s reigning world champion driver, Max Verstappen, should the 26-year-old Dutchman leave the team as is being speculated.

Verstappen fronted the media at the back of the team garage in the Paddock, in a press conference one seasoned motorsport journalist described as a circus. After a few routine motorsport questions, the media pounced on the three-time world champion, who has won 19 of the past 20 grands prix, to ask him about the continuing “spotlight” on Red Bull.

Horner is a smooth 50-year-old whom the popular Drive to Survive TV series transformed into a bigger celebrity than many drivers. The woman’s complaint, denied by Horner, exposed an extraordinary corporate and personal battle for control which might upend the team’s extraordinary run of success.

The sport and its participants are regulated by the FIA’s international sporting code. Article 12.2 states, “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA” is a potential breach.

“We all want the same and we want to perform on track. So that’s what we want to focus on as a team,” Verstappen told the media melee.

“A lot of speculation is happening right, and that is something that you cannot control.”

Verstappen said he was not “too involved” in the events, in which Horner was cleared by an internal, independent investigation which the team described as “fair, rigorous and impartial”. The woman has exercised her right of appeal and lodged a complaint with the ethics committee of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the sport’s governing body.

“But from what I know, everything is handled in the right way. I’m not going into any further details from that side because I don’t know more than that,” Verstappen said.

Beyond the track, the global motorsport industry has been fascinated by this clash of sport, celebrity, ego and corporate governance with a very uncertain outcome.

Verstappen, who was asked if he might defect to a rival team, told the media he felt very comfortable at Red Bull, but even the famously controlled driver had to watch his words. “For me, it’s like a second family. In a family there might sometimes be … how would you say? Not disagreements, but as you know, in families, you know you can’t choose family. You can choose friends.”

Some in the media pack laughed, but it was an instinctive reaction. Last year Red Bull Racing, the part Austrian-owned, part Thai-owned and British-run team, won 21 of 22 grands prix. But this year the scandal is now the prism through which every on track success is viewed. Verstappen finished second to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Friday’s practice run. Was it just a blip? It would seem so, with Verstappen claiming pole position on Saturday.

Hours before Verstappen’s press conference, David Croft, the lead Formula 1 commentator for Britain’s Sky Sports, spoke to 350 assembled Melbourne business executives at a trackside Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry breakfast.

“There’s a battle for power going on there,” the commentator universally known as “Crofty” told the guests, which included Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Martin Pakula, the former state major events minister, and his new chief executive, Travis Auld, the former AFL executive.

Much will depend on whether Red Bull is still perceived to have the best engine in 2026 when a rule change kicks into gear, he said.

“I am sure the Verstappen camp are thinking that we just need to position ourselves so that we are in the right place at the right time to maximise Max’s talents – no pun intended.”

Croft said he was confident Horner would remain; he was not suspended during the team’s probe, his salary is being paid by Red Bull Racing, and he is backed by Thai majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns 51 per cent of parent company Red Bull GmbH.

“The Verstappen camp with the Austrian camp against Christian Horner and the Thai majority shareholder: It starts to look like an episode of Succession now.”

How it unfolded

Red Bull’s troubles began on the eve of F1’s launch season, when the 10 teams presented their new cars to the media and fans ahead of pre-season testing. Red Bull GmbH released a statement confirming Horner was under investigation “after being made aware of certain recent allegations”.

Ten days after news of the investigation broke, Horner – team principal at Red Bull Racing since its inception in 2005 – appeared at the launch of the team’s 2024 car, the RB20, at its Milton Keynes headquarters in England along with Verstappen and driver Sergio Perez. He refused to comment, but conceded “inevitably there has been a distraction, but the team are very together … it’s been very much business as usual, the support has been fantastic”.

Three days later, Formula One Management (F1) and the FIA, issued separate statements acknowledging the investigation. In a press conference at pre-season testing in Bahrain on February 20, Wolff, a longtime rival of Horner’s after the bitter 2021 title fight between his Mercedes champion Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, called for transparency about the investigation and its outcome, adding “we are a global sport, one of the most important sports platforms in the world, and we’re role models”.

On February 28, with the teams back in Bahrain for the opening race, Red Bull GmbH dismissed the allegations of inappropriate behaviour against Horner.

“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,” the statement read. “Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”

The next day, as the first day of practice for Bahrain wrapped, a bombshell email from two anonymous addresses containing a Google Drive link pinged into the inboxes of more than 100 recipients including media organisations, the FIA and F1’s CEO Stefano Domencali, the team principals of the nine other F1 teams, and Max Verstappen’s father Jos. The drive contained purported evidence from the investigation. Horner denied the allegations in a statement.

No one has publicly commented on the 79 leaked files, which have not been verified by any media including The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

The season begins under a shadow

The Bahrain Grand Prix was a great result for Red Bull – on the track. Verstappen and Perez brought home a dominant 1-2 result, while closest rival Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) finished 25 seconds adrift.

But Max’s father Jos, an ex-F1 driver who was a former teammate of the legendary Michael Schumacher, gave an incendiary interview to Britain’s Daily Mail , saying “the team is in danger of being torn apart” if Horner stayed as team principal, adding “it can’t go on the way it is, it will explode”.

On March 7, in the lead-up to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in Jeddah, reports emerged that Red Bull had suspended the female Red Bull employee. A team spokesman said at the time that “we are unable to comment as it is an internal matter”.

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In the Jeddah pre-event press conference, Max Verstappen was asked if he felt his father regretted his comments. “I haven’t asked him that. I think from how I know him of course, from when I was already in go karting, he’s always very outspoken. He’s not a liar, that’s for sure.”

Horner later used his own press conference to express confidence that his driver will stay at the team to the end of his contract in 2028. “I’m certain that he will,” he said.

The next day, Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko, the 80-year-old Austrian former F1 driver who was instrumental in signing Verstappen on a Red Bull contract as a 17-year-old, spoke of possibly being investigated. Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF that he could face suspension or depart amid reports of a Red Bull investigation into Marko, relating to alleged information leaks to media over the Horner case.

Verstappen, after taking pole position in Saudi Arabia, suggested his future at the team depended on Marko staying in his role. “For me, Helmut has to stay”.

Wolff, seeking a replacement for seven-time world champion Hamilton who has announced his defection to Ferrari in 2025, admitted he would “love” to have Verstappen race for Mercedes should he leave Red Bull.

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Twenty-four hours later, Verstappen and Perez reprised their 1-2 result from Bahrain, with their closest challenger Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) a distant 18 seconds behind.

After the win, Horner said he had “no doubt” of Verstappen’s future commitment to the team, but would not hold his star driver to his contract should he choose to leave.

“You can’t force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper,” Horner said. “If somebody didn’t want to be at this team, then we’re not going to force somebody against their will to be here.

“Being involved in a team like this involves commitment and passion. Max has that. We’ve seen that, he’s been here since he was 18 years of age. I have no doubt of his commitment and passion going forward.”

In Albert Park, Verstappen reflected on the tumultuous events and said the saga had not sapped him of energy.

“I very easily switch off and on from F1. I don’t really think about F1 anyway too much when I leave the paddock.”

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