Horner back in spotlight at Red Bull launch for first time since investigation

Christian Horner will be attending the launch of the new Red Bull car on Thursday despite the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding his position as team principal after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made against him and for which he remains under investigation.

The allegations, made by a female employee of the Red Bull Racing team, were announced on 5 February when the team’s parent company Red Bull GmbH confirmed they had opened an external independent inquiry into the complaint. The investigation is still ongoing but Horner has not been suspended from his role as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing and has emphatically denied any wrongdoing.

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No legal action has been taken against Horner, he is not the subject of a tribunal nor a hearing and he has yet to face any censure by the team’s owner, Red Bull GmbH.

While the investigation continues he and the team are understood to be conducting business as usual and he will take part in the team’s launch of the new RB20 car at their headquarters in Milton Keynes, where he will also speak publicly for the first time since the allegations were made. The world champion, Max Verstappen, will also be making his first public appearance since the investigation began and will face questions from the media.

Horner underwent an extensive interview lasting more than eight hours with the English barrister conducting the inquiry in London on Friday. The complaints made against him are understood to have been described as relating to “controlling” behaviour.

After the meeting no further information was forthcoming, “It would not be appropriate to comment before the investigation is completed,” said Red Bull in a statement afterwards. No further statement has been issued by Horner, or the parent company that instigated the investigation, Red Bull GmbH.

There is still no timescale set for the investigation and it is believed it will continue for as long as is required, including potentially involving further interviews with Horner, until the inquiry is satisfied it has been investigated fully. This may well extend up to and beyond the first race of the season, in Bahrain on 2 March.

Red Bull undertook a shakedown run of the RB20 on Tuesday at Silverstone and the car will be officially launched on Thursday morning. It is expected to be an evolution of the enormously successful model that has dominated the past two seasons in F1, including winning 21 of 22 grands prix last year.