Back in 2022, Red Bull’s Christian Horner was dealt one of the first truly serious, public blows in the wake of what we now refer to as ‘Costcappen’ — back-and-forth statements from the FIA, a saga of unsolicited YouTube thinkpieces, media trolling, and finally, a $7 million fine and 10% wind tunnel penalty that in hindsight, seems to have been more bark and less bite.

Two years on, the cost cap shenanigans of 2022 seem tepid, almost welcome in the face of what simply is a situation of extremes. Red Bull á la Adrian Newey have been gifted the sweet ambrosia of aerodynamic innovation that is the RB20, Max Verstappen continues to stoically pummel his opposition with impunity, and even Sergio Perez seems to have been shaken and stirred into his role as second-in-command behind the wheel, securing a comfortable P2 on Saturday.

And yet, Horner — who tends to reflect a calm, collected and casual sensibility towards the thousands of cameras shoved into his face each season — is now knee-deep in the most salacious scandal to have ever rocked Red Bull’s usually rock-solid camp.

Seeing Red

Questions around sexual misconduct are somewhat rare in the world of F1. Apart from reports of rabid male fans at the Austrian Grand Prix last year, the paddock itself has not had a public incident in the entire modern era of the sport. That is, until rumours, reports, and finally official statements arose this February concerning ‘alleged inappropriate behaviour’ directed towards a female employee at Red Bull. The resulting barrister-led investigation was kept under wraps by Red Bull through the coming weeks.

However, less than 24 hours after an independent Red Bull investigation exonerated Horner last Wednesday, an anonymous email found its way into the inboxes of key figures ranging from team principals to FIA officials and crucially, over 100 motorsports media representatives.

That last bit is what turned a hush-hush concern into a PR nightmare for Horner — the email contained 79 screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between the team principal and the aforementioned female employee. This week saw further developments as BusinessF1 Magazine publisher Tom Rubython teased a ’19-page probe’, dropping details on the identity of the RedBull employee at the centre of the allegations as well as her purported issues with Horner.

As of now, there is no substantial indication of the emails’ origins and the veracity of these screenshots or media claims — and yet, comment threads, Reddit posts and Discord groups are abuzz with conversation, speculation, and perhaps in bad taste, glee from Red Bull’s many detractors, hungry to find a chink in the team’s navy-blue armour. As a result, Horner largely spent the lead-up to Bahrain behind a watertight set of press responses and dark glasses — choosing to keep mum and ‘remain focused on the start of the season’. 

"Obviously it’s not been pleasant, the unwanted attention, but the focus is now very much on the cars," said the Briton after dashing rivals Ferrari and Mercedes’ hopes on Saturday. "My focus has very much been on what’s going on track and the result today, I think, demonstrates where the whole team’s focus is, and we move onwards."

While the team is certainly putting on a stellar performance right out the gate, the fact remains that Red Bull is — and has been for some time — rather bipartisan as far as shareholder power goes. After walking onto the grid in Bahrain, Horner was spotted mingling with Red Bull’s Thai majority shareholders, who largely represent the interests of billionaire businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya. On the other side of the shareholder pie stands the Austrian camp. These figures include Managing Director Oliver Mintzlaff, major stakeholder Mark Mateschitz, who inherited his father’s 49% stake in Red Bull GmbH in 2022, and one Jos Verstappen.

Braking Point

As one of the most involved family figures in Max Verstappen’s life, it stands to reason that Jos — an F1 alum from the Y2K era — would get involved. The champion’s father has been linked to controversies before, including allegations of abusive training methods with Max and an assault case in the early 2000s; all talking points that resurfaced when the Dutchman aimed his crosshairs at Horner in a recent conversation with the Daily Mail. “There is tension here while [Horner] remains in position,” he said. “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.” 

The elder Verstappen reportedly stated that his son would leave Red Bull in the wake of Horner’s continued leadership of the racing team — a prospect that would have serious effects on the current grid’s pecking order. Further fanning the flames of controversy was a Reddit post, in the form of a sneaky photograph from the Bahrain paddock that showed Jos, Mercedes boss and longtime Horner rival Toto Wolff, along with Max’s manager Raymond Vermeulen. Wolff initially downplayed his meeting with Verstappen Sr., noting that the pair were simply exchanging pleasantries. Soon, however, Wolff claimed that ‘everything is possible’ when speaking about Verstappen’s potential move to Mercedes. Given Lewis Hamilton’s recent exit from the team, the reaction from fans and the press was well, predictable.

If there’s anyone who’s winning in this scenario, it’s the global motorsports media. European outlets in particular are notorious for sensationalist stories — the first report on Horner’s alleged misconduct came from Holland’s De Telegraaf, which was instantly picked apart by fellow EU publications for having ‘ties’ to the Verstappen family.

For Max, who has said little more than expressing some stress over the situation in a post-race press conference, the entire incident seems like an unwelcome distraction to what should be yet another season of racing supremacy. It’s expected that the champion’s return to Saudi Arabia this week will be marred by a barrage of challenging press inquiries focused on the conflict between his team boss and his father — a prospect made even more confusing to fans by conflicting reports. 

According to the Daily Mail, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has requested the reigning champ to ‘publicly back Christian.’ London-based Talksport claims that Max’s neutral junket responses are a refusal to support Horner, while other reports claim that Sulayem had only requested Max to continue racing and avoid the drama currently buzzing around his team. Meanwhile, the BBC reports that Sulayem himself is under investigation for interfering in penalty decisions at last year’s Saudi GP; a development that fuels a growing section of fans disillusioned with the FIA’s governance capabilities.

It's good that Max knows how to win a championship or three — perhaps his best course of action is to keep calm and continue racking up wins. For Horner, things seem murkier. Though his family and his on-ground crew seem to stand by him, business interests may force him into uncertain waters. German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, claims that longtime Red Bull advisor and confidante to Max, Helmut Marko, is at a major crossroads and will be key to securing the team’s continued success. It is also rumoured that Horner’s exit may influence renown technical director Adrian Newey to leave Red Bull, leaving a massive power vacuum as we approach a new set of technical directives in 2026.

Hoping to ease tensions on his end, Horner has made a quick stop in Dubai before the Saudi GP, meeting face to face once again with Vermeulen. One thing’s for sure — there’s a long 2024 season ahead and plenty more drama in store.