Christian Horner is certain he will remain in charge at Red Bull despite the furore which has surrounded him this week.
He has been the focus of attention since it emerged a month ago that he was the subject of an internal investigation at Red Bull following allegations made by a female member of staff. Although the investigation cleared him, material purportedly related to the investigation was leaked two days ago.Since then he has been the subject of front-page headlines on several newspapers. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said yesterday the situation was “damaging” for Formula 1.
However Horner said he was “absolutely” sure his position in charge of the team is secure. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” he told Sky.
The team remains united under his leadership, he added. “We are a very strong team,” said Horner. “We have got tremendous support and we have got tremendous partners and great shareholders behind us as well. You don’t achieve this kind of result by not being united.”
Red Bull dominated the first race of the season today. Max Verstappen led a one-two with Sergio Perez, the team’s closest rival finishing over 20 seconds behind.
Much of the wider news coverage of Horner has focused on his wife, Geri Horner, who joined him at the track today.
Horner said the result vindicated the team’s decision to produce an “aggressive evolution” of last year’s dominant RB19.
“I have to say a big thank you to all the men and women back in Milton Keynes that this winter have worked so hard and come up with another great car,” he said. “It is testimony to that hard work that goes on behind the scenes. So, a great team performance to get that one-two finish and maximum points today.”
“I think the design team, the whole team, has done a wonderful, wonderful job,” he said. “They haven’t rested on their laurels.
“They’ve pushed hard and pushed the boundaries, and you can see there is a lot of innovative ideas on the car. It has got the basis of [the RB19] on it but it is a strong evolution.”
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SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
2nd March 2024, 18:29
If the Google Drive is real, there isn’t real that much of a case to dismiss him in the first place, so I can see why he wasn’t. Yes, he’s not the best flirt, but it didn’t much look like the abuse of power that it was made out to be. The rest is between him and Geri and none of anyone’s business, very much a personal matter. So yeah, it’s time for the press and whoever the malicious actor stirring this up with their mass mail was to let it go.
Osnola
2nd March 2024, 18:33
Several sources at reddit sugfest it was erik van haren who is responsible for the “leak”.
Tristan
2nd March 2024, 19:20
Oh wow, must be real then…
ludewig
2nd March 2024, 20:01
It doesn’t make much sense for a journalist to give up a scoop like that, or if he feels he can’t publish it, to give it to a colleague to earn a favor from them.
PapaMozano
2nd March 2024, 18:41
If the Google Drive leak is real, there are multiple instances of sexual harassment by any definition. The fact that the victim worked for him makes it even more straightforward. Those are fireable offenses in any respectable organization.
Osnola
2nd March 2024, 18:48
Are you serious…
One of the terrible conversations, hyped by the tabloids..
Goes like: tabloids:
The real text:
Ridículo
ludewig
2nd March 2024, 20:02
@PapaMozano
I guess in your world everyone who is in a relationship harasses each other?
Mutual flirting is not harassment.
MadMax (@madmax)
3rd March 2024, 8:43
U know this is the bullies team. They dont play by the rules, or so they once said.
amped
6th March 2024, 16:22
Having a relationship with other employees within the company that employs you is not a fireable offence in companies outside of the US… In the developed world especially in Europe, the right to a personal life is protected in law, which includes having relationships with your co-workers. It would be illegal to dismiss someone for having a relationship with a colleague unless it is explicitly forbid in their employment contract.
The situation between Horner and his assistant looks messy, both from a personal and professional point of view, but there doesn’t appear to be an awful lot to actually dismiss him for. It is obvious from the (potentially selectively picked to remove her advances) alleged messages between the two that it was reciprocated affair between the two.
Tristan
2nd March 2024, 19:13
You’re nuts if you don’t think the content constitutes harassment. You can’t tell someone you jacked off over them non-consensually, let alone try to pressure them into late night phone chats to get you off.
If you think any part of that is okay you need help. Let alone between an employer/employee.
The only defence is that there’s no evidence any of it is real which I imagine is why Horner is just denying.
ludewig
2nd March 2024, 20:05
It’s only harassment if it is unwanted and not mutual. Where is the proof of that.
PS. People in a relationship commonly pressure each other into things all the time.
Tristan
2nd March 2024, 20:31
Seek help, that is not okay.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
3rd March 2024, 7:55
Tristan, I’ve seen cases where people have reported very real ongoing harassment to the police and the police have then told them that to have a case, the complainant must:
1) actively tell the person that you are seriously uncomfortable
2) actively tell the person to STOP contacting you
Before they do that, there’s nothing the police can (will) do.
The whole story is obviously embarrassing and not very nice. But until a crime has been proven, it is still a private matter. This trial by media is horrendous. Tabloids are not courts.
————————
One thing that can be proven however is the IP number of the leaker. The material was rather carelessly put on a GoogleDrive and the email used was a standard Gmail (=Google) address. So it’s all on Google servers.
Google is a world leading provider of geolocation-based targeted advertising services. It’s a piece of cake to find the whereabouts of the leaker, if a proper court should order Google to do so.
Tristan
3rd March 2024, 23:11
Both of those things happened in the content provided, explicitly.
As for ip addresses, you’re obviously knowledgeable so I’m sure you know that no-logging VPN’s exist.
SteveP
2nd March 2024, 20:07
Horner has spoken to media about “the person that leaked” the messages.
Note, that isn’t “the person who faked” the messages. In essence, the genuineness is confirmed by Horner.
What the content is, I have no idea since don’t find it interesting.
MichaelN
2nd March 2024, 20:48
It sometimes seems like the world of F1 was so busy looking at Hamilton winning titles that the whole #MeToo saga entirely passed it by. From the few snippets I’ve read other people quote, it’s a pretty bad look. How would people feel if their wife’s or their sister’s boss was sending them such messages? Yikes.
I suppose Horner is counting on his personal reputation already being pretty much in the dump, so that whatever else comes out of this that isn’t downright illegal won’t make much of a difference. Seems sketchy, but given the kind of people Red Bull keeps around it’s not a huge surprise.
An Sionnach
4th March 2024, 15:13
Or, a certain part of the world was so carried away with the me too movement that it forgot to consider that witch hunts and trial by media are not a fair way to respond to accusations. There has to be evidence a right to a fair hearing and a presumption of innocence, both for the accuser and accused. Otherwise we could all accuse each other of all sorts of things. It’s terrible when something happens and it cannot be proved, but it is also terrible to be accused and convicted without sufficient evidence. In this regard I hope the me too movement has failed as it seems to be partly pushed by radicals looking to cause social strife, erode the concept of equal treatment under the law for everyone and the presumption of innocence.
Abuse of women is abhorrent and it should be stood up to. I don’t think the me too movement is a good example of what should be considered progress. Believe women? I’ve been told conflicting things by women a number of times. Which one do I believe? I would prefer neither to believe or disbelieve anyone unless I can verify the facts myself.
As a solution, I would suggest maintaining the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, while reviewing sentences for those who are given their due process and convicted.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
2nd March 2024, 18:43
Guess I’ll comment as this “story” won’t go away. Guy didn’t break a law, probably violated company policy but not to level of being dismissed. A complete guess is that there was a consensual relationship at one point but because one party is a player, they moved on. Shocking when you are with a relationship cheater that they then cheat on you. Spurned person went for revenge. Pure speculation. Let’s move on as nothing to do with racing.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
3rd March 2024, 8:00
That’s pretty much my conclusions too.
It’s not nice but it’s not a crime, let’s move on.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd March 2024, 9:19
Unfortunately not much to focus on in terms of racing either this year…
Tristan
2nd March 2024, 19:31
This seems to be the conclusion, unless further material surfaces which is more conclusive. Easily faked screenshots are not it.
RR
2nd March 2024, 19:36
Is that what the story is, an affair of sorts and the woman doesn’t want to let go and became vengeful?
Something like that film, Fatal Attraction, with Michael Douglas harassed by a nightmare woman?
Very obvious in the after race celebrations today that Horner kept well away from Marko and Jos, with Newey in a corner by himself. It just doesn’t look the happy family of world champs that it used to be.
ludewig
2nd March 2024, 20:08
Yeah, looks like it. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence of abuse of power of bad behavior by Horner, so at this point the media are just harassing Horner, Geri and the other woman. Ironically, we thus do have actual evidence of the media engaging in harassment.
Humper52
2nd March 2024, 23:05
This is entirely of Red Bulls making, no external force or media is generating it.
They are dragging F1 through the gutter and turning it into a laughing stock, this is not going to go away.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
2nd March 2024, 21:12
Its alleged that Jos took up with that woman (engaged in a relationship) and manipulated her and ultimately played it out in the media. When it comes to controlling behavior and abusive tendencies, it appears this case is actually one of projection, where the plantif who isn’t coming forward, wishes to exert power with in red bull and exercise control over his son’s success. There are also interested parties like Porsche and Ford, one certainly has pedigree over the other, especially in the hybrid era… Its understandable why one would want to get rid of Ford and invite Porsche to run the team, but this is not the right tact IMO. This is of course is complete speculation.
Dex
3rd March 2024, 19:21
A certain Dutch man keeps stirring it up. Saying it would be better if Horner just left RBR. It was originally leaked to a Dutch newspaper.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
4th March 2024, 11:21
Jos keeps talking about himself in the press, while he begs Horner to make Checo the #1 in order to deleverage Jos’ position. The dude is mental, and hes self destructing, hes taking his own kid down in order to push his own political intrigue. Yea, Austria and Jos might want Porsche and Red Bull back together, but if it backfires, Max could end up never winning another championship again. All to satisfy a bunch of corrupt people’s opinions, who have no real responsibility to the team known as RBR. If Horner and Ford survive this sabotage, we might end up finding out why Jos is so scared.
Kenny
3rd March 2024, 2:04
Strange that the woman involved in this was taking screenshots the whole time. You might say well you can scroll up and take screenshots at anytime, but you notice that they were taken before CH asked to delete the messages, then you see they were deleted after that. So the intention was.. to.. do something with the screenshots later just in case it goes south? Also, it looked like there was a screenshot, while still being involved in the so called flirty conversation because it had a live popup from CH saying now as the time and while also in a conversation with someone else sending a message saying that’s assault..
MichaelN
3rd March 2024, 9:54
It wouldn’t be the first time someone in this situation confides in a friend who signals its gone too far and suggests taking screenshots if it happens again, or something to that effect.
Mr Squiggle
3rd March 2024, 4:38
If the screenshots are genuine, then their distribution to various email addresses has removed their value in any future cash settlement.CH can’t offer money to keep them out of the press now. That train has left the station
Unless, or course, there are even more screenshots with even more details….somewhere
kpcart
3rd March 2024, 6:15
Horner will be out of the team in a few days going by what Jos Verstappen said, headline article on motorsport.com so stop sticking up for the grub Horner. Horner has a record, he met the spice girl while his previous partner was pregnant to him and left them for geri.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
4th March 2024, 12:05
watching Jos get stepped on will be an absolute privilege.
Chris (@austin-healey)
3rd March 2024, 8:36
I can’t believe the hypocrisy of Jos Verstappen.
Do your own research, Google ‘Jos Verstappen assault’
And his presence is tolerated in the Red Bull pits.
And the head of the FIA having an issue?
Do your own research and Google ‘Mohammed Ben Sulayem Shaila-Ann Rao’
Pots and kettles!
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
3rd March 2024, 9:28
Yes, I’m not one who looks much into these matters, but pot kettle black is a good saying here.
BamBoomBots
3rd March 2024, 11:47
It is almost as if an organisation like F1 with an at best highly controversial track record when it comes to money laundering, sportswashing and human rights attracts the kind of individuals that also do not have any remorse in behaving similarly in their own personal lives.
Juicy, but nothing to be surprised over as with any F1-scandal.
MichaelN
3rd March 2024, 10:03
Nothing really came of that. Nobody even filed a complaint. And why would he appoint so many women if he, as is alleged, has issues treating female colleagues as equal? That this originates in The Telegraph is also suspicious, as they led the anti-MBS campaign that just so happened to sprout up when he spoke out against Liberty potentially saddling F1 with crippling debt by selling at an overvalued price.
Rao’s appointment was marred by controversy from the start due to her close links to Mercedes and Wolff, and her position became all but untenable after the FIA seemed to introduce a massive reinterpretation of F1s new rules at Wolff’s behest.
If there is an issue, it needs to be looked at seriously. But it seems the main protagonists in this story are not the people allegedly involved but The Telegraph and their supposed “anonymous sources”.
Aquila_GD
3rd March 2024, 14:16
Where were you guys able to access these files??
Kenny
3rd March 2024, 21:40
They’re around, easily found – do a search for christian horner text messages reddit will be a good one, and you’ll quickly find a link in a thread. They are still available. Reddit is as usual a great source for this sort of stuff that most organisations try to obscure, so you can just add that word to the end of your searches.
Broderick Harper (@banbrorace)
3rd March 2024, 14:23
Just finished rolling around on the floor laughing at Jos Verstappen’s comments.
I didn’t realise that he was the new ‘Woke’ representative of Red Bull. Give his past, he did very well to get that job, but clearly he’s relishing his role.