Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has attempted to play down the controversy surrounding him over the inappropriate behaviour case saying it was “time to draw a line”. Addressing the media after Red Bull suspended the woman who levelled the accusations against him, Horner blamed senior figures in Formula One for taking advantage of the situation. 

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“An awful lot has been made out of this. It is of great interest in different areas of the media for different reasons. The time now is to draw a line under it,” said Horner. 

Talking about alleged text leaks, Horner added: “The only reason this has gained so much attention is because of the leakage and the attention that there has been drawn in the media. Which has been very trying in many respects, particularly for my family because it has all been focussed very much in one direction.” 

“What has happened then after that is that others have looked to take advantage of it. F1 is a competitive business and elements have looked to benefit from it and that is perhaps the not-so-pretty side of our industry.”

Quizzed if Max Verstappen would see out his contract amid rumours that he might quit, Horner said he was certain that the Dutch would stick around. 

“We’ve achieved an awful lot together. He’s committed to an agreement until 2028. From a team side, from Max’s side, we’re determined to build on the success that we’ve achieved already.”

Red Bull fires the employee

On Thursday, Red Bull reportedly suspended the woman who had lodged complaint against Horner for his inappropriate actions. According to reports, the employee has not been at Red Bull racing headquarters since Monday (Mar 4) after being told to stay home. 

One of Red Bull’s spokespersons said they “cannot comment on this internal matter” as the team was preparing for the race weekend in Saudi Arabia. 

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What did Red Bull claim?

Ever since the scandal first broke out, Horner has denied the allegations. During the Bahrain GP, Horner said he was “absolutely confident” he would stay at the helm for the remainder of the season.

A statement from Red Bull dismissing the claims against him last week read: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal.”

With Lewis Hamilton set to join Ferrari in 2025 and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff yet to announce his replacement, experts believe that Verstappen could make the shock move to the rival team.

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