Christian Horner latest news: Jos Verstappen takes aim at Red Bull team principal after Bahrain Grand Prix

Just hours after the Red Bull boss was officially cleared of ‘inappropriate behaviour’, a series of ‘sexually suggestive’ WhatsApp messages and pictures, allegedly sent by Horner, were leaked – and it’s very mucky indeed for a sport beset with issues, writes long-term motor racing fan Gemma Abbott.

F1 wanted to establish crossover appeal when they first produced the Drive to Survive Netflix documentary.

It’s fair to say that this Christian Horner situation has certainly generated crossover interest, with even Roman Kemp at the Brits taking a jibe at the Red Bull boss

A statement from Red Bull confirmed Horner has been cleared of all charges ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Horner emphatically denied the claims.

But just 24 hours later, hundreds of messages and a number of images apparently between Horner and the complainant were sent from an anonymous email account to members of the F1 paddock – including FIA president Mohamed ben Sulayem, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the grid’s nine other team principals, as well as the media – on the eve of this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Formula One’s crisis-hit Red Bull team insists it remains “united” after Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed it is “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner remains in his role.

A defiant Horner has said he is “absolutely confident” he will stay on as Red Bull boss for the remainder of the season after overseeing Verstappen lead a one-two finish from team-mate Sergio Perez at the opening round in Bahrain.

Horner has faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks following allegations against him made by a female colleague. Horner has always denied the claims.

The Red Bull team principal was cleared of “inappropriate behaviour” on Wednesday after a three-week internal probe conducted by an external lawyer, following allegations from a female colleague which were strongly refuted by Horner, before WhatsApp texts allegedly between the two parties – some sexually suggestive – were leaked to the media 24 hours later.

Yet Horner has been present in the paddock in Bahrain throughout the race weekend, including Saturday as Max Verstappen eased to a first win of the season, and the 50-year-old accompanied his Spice Girl pop star wife Geri as she entered the Bahrain International Circuit.

The Red Bull team principal was pictured in Bahrain with his wife Geri Horner on Saturday (2 March) ahead of the first race of the 2024 F1 season.

It came after hundreds of WhatsApp messages allegedly written by him to a female colleague were leaked.

Twenty-three days after allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” first emerged through whispers in the Dutch press, and following countless denials on the eve of the new Formula One season, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has finally won the battle of his life.

Touching down in the Middle East on Wednesday night, Horner will be one relieved man stepping off his private jet. A team principal and chief executive who has barely missed a race since taking the reins at the inception of his Red Bull team in 2005, the 50-year-old will take his usual place on the pit wall at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend as a man exonerated.

The statement on Wednesday afternoon from Red Bull GmbH – the parent company, based in Salzburg, of Horner’s Red Bull Racing – was unwavering. It spoke of an investigation, outsourced to an external KC, which was “fair, rigorous and impartial” and a “grievance” which has now been dismissed.

Formula One’s crisis-hit Red Bull team says it remains “united” after Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed they are “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner remains in his role.

A Red Bull Racing spokesperson told the PA news agency on Sunday: “There are no issues here. The team are united and we are focused on racing.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper after Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen Snr said: “There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position.

“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”