Horner relationship with Verstappen ‘badly damaged’ before Red Bull allegations

Horner’s relationship with Verstappen was “severely strained” before he claimed Red Bull.

Christian Horner is fighting for his future as Red Bull Racing team boss amid an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

Red Bull Racing manager Christian Horner said relations with the Verstappen family were “seriously strained”.

According to German Motorsport-Total, the alleged rift between Horner and Jos Verstappen, father of three-time world champion driver Max, precedes the launch of an investigation into the team principal. A 50-year-old man was accused by a co-worker of inappropriate behavior.

Horner has strongly denied all the allegations. He is due to meet independent investigators appointed by Austrian parent company Red Bull on Friday to explain his case.

The investigation is ongoing amid speculation from multiple sources that there may be a power struggle behind the scenes. Horner has been in charge of the racing team since it was bought by the energy drink giant ahead of the 2005 F1 season, but the allegations have left him fighting for his future.

After hearing Horner’s case on Friday, investigators will recommend next steps to parent company Red Bull. Evidence will be heard this weekend before a decision is made early next week.

Red Bull Racing officials know little about the entire process. The parent company took over the investigation and media inquiries on the subject were directed to Red Bull GmbH and not the F1 team.

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The overall situation casts a dark cloud over the team’s preparations for the new campaign. Red Bull are gearing up for another title defense after putting together one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history last year, winning all but one of the 22 races they ran. This was the team’s sixth constructors’ championship and seventh drivers’ title since its F1 debut. Sebastian Vettel won the first four championships between 2010 and 2013, while Verstappen won the last three. Horner was in charge the entire time the team was in net.

Following next week’s launch event, the team will travel to Bahrain for three days of pre-season testing starting on Wednesday 21 February. The season officially kicks off on Saturday night, March 2, with the Bahrain Grand Prix.