A few days before he presented his work, 2024 red bull car, team supremo christian horner He finds himself at the center of a potentially damaging storm, including an accusation of inappropriate behavior from one of his employees.
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Shocking news came out on Monday. Red Bull has confirmed it has launched an investigation into those who orchestrated the Austrian drinks company's phenomenal success on the track.
After turning his back on being a successful racing driver, Horner found his true calling in management.
Appointed as the youngest team principal in the F1 paddock in 2005 at the age of 31, he has overseen six constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, which by any standard is unmatched. It's an amazing achievement.
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But with the unveiling of a car expected to give Max Verstappen his fourth straight title next Thursday, he is currently distracted from preparing his defense for Friday's hearing, which will be led by an independent barrister. ing.
The charges are serious.
On Monday, Red Bull said: “After becoming aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.
“This process is already underway and is being carried out by external specialist lawyers.
“We take this matter extremely seriously and will complete our investigation as soon as possible. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
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“I completely deny these allegations,” Christian Horner strongly refuted to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
For someone who has been a constant presence in F1 for almost two decades, this investigation could not have come at a worse time.
Eloquent, intelligent and combative, his altercations with Toto Wolff, his opposite number from his time at Mercedes, are fascinating to watch.
power and shaking
Especially when Verstappen controversially snatched an unprecedented eighth world title from Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the final race of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.
As team principal and chief executive of Red Bull Racing, Horner has significant power and influence over the vast empire based in Milton Keynes, England.
During his time at Cultivator, the company's workforce swelled from 450 to 1,500, but the allegations by one of its employees shocked the F1 community.
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James Vowles, president of Williams, was one of the few colleagues of Mr Horner to speak out publicly about the incident this week.
Mr. Vowles told Bloomberg on Monday, without going into details of the allegations. everyone's.
“I think that means we all need to look in the mirror, ask ourselves the right questions and make sure we're behaving in a way that we'll be proud of not today but in the next 10 years. .”
Christian Horner's relationship with the ambitious Austrian company Red Bull goes back to the F3000 era and Dietrich Mateschitz.
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Red Bull's father Mateschitz, who passed away in 2022, had bought the Jaguar F1 team in 2004 and recognized enough talent in the young Horner to appoint him team manager in 2005.
Among the many inspired moves Mr. Horner has made is to bring Adrian Newey, who ranks as one of the most talented engineers and designers of his generation and others, to the team. It was included.
Newey, who joined the Red Bull wagon in 2006, won the drivers' title and constructors' title every year from 2010 to 2013, the drivers' championship in 2021, and both in 2022 and 2023. It produced a car that won a championship.
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Newey's RB19, which caused a riot on track last year, is statistically the most successful car in F1 history, winning 21 of 22 races.
And Red Bull will be mindful that Newey's contract is linked to Horner's. This means that if one leaves, the other is free to follow.
Despite all the attendant stresses of steering such a huge company in the throes of a multi-billion pound industry, Mr Horner retains a boyish enthusiasm.
He married Geri Halliwell, former member of pop band Spice Girls' Ginger Spice, in 2015, and the couple have one son, Montague. Horner also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
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A supporter of Coventry City Football Club, Horner is the longest-serving team principal in the paddock.
During his tenure, he has inevitably had to deal with one crisis after another, but none as severe as the one he faces on Friday.
Written by Garyn Lambly ©Agence France-Presse
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