Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner has come under fire after he was first investigated for “inappropriate and controlling behavior,” then after that investigation was dismissed, only for an anonymous person to release what is alleged to be a Google Drive containing images and screenshots of Horner’s aforementioned inappropriate conduct. Now, we’ve got an update: The woman who accused the Formula 1 team principal of that behavior has been suspended by Red Bull, the BBC reports.
Yes, you read that correctly. Take a moment to process that one. Red Bull Racing suspended someone involved in this situation, and it was not the accused.
Let’s roll it back a bit to offer some context. In early February, allegations of inappropriate conduct against 50-year-old Horner resulted in Red Bull pursuing an investigation. That investigation was conducted by a third party, outside of the Red Bull organization itself. Horner and his accuser were both interviewed, but the investigation dragged on so long that Ford, the American company set to become Red Bull’s power unit partner in 2026, claimed that it was “increasingly frustrated” by the company’s silence. During the course of the investigation, Horner was allowed to attend the team’s car launch, then pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Then, on February 28, just before the official start of the Formula 1 season, Red Bull “dismissed” the investigation. It’s worth noting here that “dismissed” does not mean “cleared” or “innocent,” as many prominent publications reported. A dismissal merely means that the investigation was concluded without anyone issuing any judgement. This could mean that the parties involved reached some kind of mutual agreement, or that investigators felt they did not have appropriate context to make a decision. If Horner had been deemed innocent, Red Bull would have been very clear about that — trust me.
One day later, as the F1 circus convened in Bahrain for the first official practice session of the season, an anonymous source sent a Google Drive to all FIA accredited, hard-card holding journalists, as well as to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The drive contained over 70 images that allegedly showed text message and image exchanges between Horner and his accuser; however, no one has been able to establish the veracity of those images. Horner responded by flying his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, out to Bahrain to put on a very public show of her support. Jos Verstappen, father of motorsport prodigy Max Verstappen, demanded that Horner be fired, while FIA President Sulayem expressed that his primary concern rested in the fact that the allegations made F1 look bad.
And that brings us to today, March 7; as practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix gets underway, it has become clear that the woman who accused Horner of inappropriate conduct has been suspended from Red Bull. A Red Bull spokesperson told the BBC that “the company cannot comment on this internal matter.” Autosport reports that the woman involved remained employed as recently as this week.
Autosport also made a point of commenting on Horner’s “emotional turmoil,” which has somehow become one of the primary concerns of this situation — the other being the undue negative press F1 is receiving for the whole debacle. Just in case you were wondering about whether or not motorsport believes women should be respected.