Allegations Against Christian Horner Should Be a Wake-Up Call for F1

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner effectively dominated Formula 1 headlines during the series' opening round of the 2024 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix. His team may have finished 1-2, with driver Max Verstappen once again dominating the field—but it's an ongoing scandal surrounding allegations that Horner allegedly acted inappropriately toward a colleague that has done the most damage. No matter how you feel about Horner or the incident in question, though, it should serve as an opportunity for the historically masculine world of F1 to challenge its long history of power imbalances—especially as it pertains to gender.

Let's Establish The Facts

F1 is always prone to a bit of sensationalism and speculation, so before we actually talk about the roles of power in motorsport, it's important to establish a verifiable path of action.

On Feb. 5, news organizations around the world reported that Christian Horner was officially under investigation following an accusation of "inappropriate" conduct toward a colleague. Four days later, on Feb. 9, Red Bull released another statement that clarified Horner was being investigated by an independent, external law firm; that same day, Horner was questioned by a lawyer involved in the investigation. On Feb. 15, Horner appeared at Red Bull's car launch, and five days later, he flew to pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Then, on Feb. 28, we got a bombshell: Red Bull announced that the "independent investigation into the allegations against Mr. Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed." Horner was allowed to resume his role as Red Bull Racing team boss.

Motorsport publications jumped on the news and almost immediately reported that Horner was "cleared," which was not necessarily the case. Lawyers choose their words wisely; if Horner had been absolved of wrongdoing, or found innocent altogether, then the lawyers would have made that clear. Rather, a dismissal of the investigation means only that it has come to an end; no verdict about innocence or guilt was given.

The following day, motorsport journalists received a Google Drive link from an anonymous email address that allegedly contained explicit images and screenshots of WhatsApp messages that had been involved in the investigation. So far, no one has been able to authenticate these messages, and it is not evidently clear that they are legitimate. The person who sent the email had access to a list of FIA hard-card-holding journalists and also included F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the email chain.

Horner appeared with his wife Geri Halliwell throughout the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend and celebrated Verstappen's victory with the team.

Throughout the weekend, several people offered their perspectives on the Horner situation. Driver Max Verstappen was dispassionate when asked about the debacle; he refused to comment on any specific details of the allegations and instead simply stated that his relationship with Horner and the team atmosphere was "good." His father, Jos, however, has taken a far stronger stance, demanding that Horner be fired, telling the Daily Mail, "There is tension here while he 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."

(It's worth noting that Jos Verstappen should not necessarily be praised for his stance; his relationship with Horner has always been tense, and it is certainly likely that he would utilize this opportunity to press for Horner's departure. Jos Verstappen himself has utilized his power to hurt others, including when he was charged with assaulting his wife in December 2008, and when it was alleged that he attempted to hit an ex-girlfriend with his car.)

Other team principals weren't quite as keen to let bygones be bygones, though; Zak Brown of McLaren and Toto Wolff of Mercedes have both expressed concerns about Red Bull's outside investigation, asking the FIA to intervene.