Red Bull co-owner Mark Mateschitz is reportedly adamant that Christian Horner should leave the team ‘quickly’, with a decision on his future set to be communicated within the next two days. Horner is being probed over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which he vehemently denies, following a complaint by a female employee to Red Bull’s parent company in Austria.
The saga has cast a dark cloud over the Red Bull team ahead of the new season, with the defending champions having been forced to deal with a barrage of unwanted media attention. Horner has been working in his usual role since the news of the investigation broke and was in attendance at last week’s pre-season test in Bahrain.
Mateschitz, the son of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich, would prefer to ‘get rid of Horner quickly’ rather than allowing him to continue as team principal, according to De Telegraaf. It is said that Red Bull’s hierarchy are split over what to do with Horner, who has led the team since they entered F1 back in 2005.
The Austrian arm of the company, which owns a 49 per cent stake, is said to be adamant that Horner must leave but this view is not shared by Thai major shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya. The latter owns a 51 per cent stake in the company and is claimed to have ‘protected’ Horner up to this point.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Red Bull’s external investigation is now complete with their findings set to be revealed on Tuesday or Wednesday. An extensive report, which is thought to include over 100 pages, is now in the hands of the company’s board who will ultimately have the final say on whether Horner stays or goes.
A number of figures have expressed a desire for the process to be concluded quickly, with Max Verstappen subtly urging Red Bull to wrap things up when quizzed on the matter last week.
He said: “It’s better that I just focus on my own performance because that’s already the day job, but I guess, of course, for everyone, it’s nice when things are resolved. But that’s the only thing that I can say about that.”
Formula One also called for a swift resolution when making its first public comment on the Horner saga, saying in a statement: “We hope that the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity after a fair and thorough process.
“We have noted Red Bull has instigated an independent investigation into internal allegations at Red Bull Racing. We will not comment further at this time.”
Follow our Express Sport page on Instagram here.
