Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner denies the allegation of inappropriate behaviour made against him by a colleague, as the parent company investigates the claim
James Vowles, the principal of the Williams team, has become the first Formula 1 executive to address the claims of inappropriate behavior made against Christian Horner.
The parent company of Red Bull Racing, based in Austria, announced on Monday that it was looking into Red Bull Racing CEO Horner following a complaint made by a female employee. The 50-year-old has vehemently refuted the assertion.
The massive energy drink company announced that it has brought in an outside attorney to head a “independent” probe into the long-serving F1 chief’s alleged misconduct. That investigation is currently in progress.
“The company takes these matters extremely seriously, and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible,” said a Red Bull statement. Further comments would not be appropriate at this time.
At his team’s car launch event on Monday, Williams CEO Vowles was asked about his thoughts on the situation and responded by speaking with Bloomberg. The 44-year-old discussed the significance of having a positive team culture, even though he acknowledged he was unaware of this particular case.
“The sport itself, going back 20 years, was definitely dominated by men,” he stated. Twenty years ago, if you had asked me to describe a team, I would have said that it would be composed of white people who are probably 40 years old and male.
That’s evolving, and the only thing that’s altering the outcome for the better. The best ideas don’t come from a closed group of individuals, so the only thing I can do within the confines of Williams is to open everyone’s eyes to the fact that this is how we must be. It originates with variety.
“These are just that—allegations. I fear that I am completely ignorant of their motivations and the gravity of what has transpired. All I can say is that if something like this ever occurs in our community, we will do everything in our power to address it and ensure that our culture is inclusive of all people.
“I believe it means that not only should we act in a way that we can only be proud of in ten years, but we also need to look in the mirror and make sure that we are asking the right questions of ourselves.”
Mirror Sport is aware that Horner’s aggressive management style is the basis for the accusation made against him. Red Bull anticipates a quick process. The issue is very much wanted to be settled before the team’s F1 season launch event, which is scheduled for next Thursday, February 15. It is unlikely that Horner’s employment status will be decided upon until the investigation is complete.
