Although attention has, rightly, returned to the cars that took to the track for the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, in the paddock people continue to talk about the event that shook the entire Circus just a few days before the start of the championship, i.e. the Horner case. The Red Bull team principal, still on trial for accusations of "inappropriate behavior" towards an employee of the Austrian team, is physically present in the pits to witness the first steps of the innovative RB20, the single-seater for the 2024 season. At the same time the Horner's position is dangerously in the balance, due to the trial that concerns him and which risks overwhelming the team, worried about the wave it would unleash. Horner has not yet been officially found guilty. However, rumors in the paddock suggest that a decision within the Red Bull garage has already been made and that Horner is close to saying goodbye.
Horner and Red Bull would have agreed to farewell
The Horner case began to be enriched with further details after the report published by De Telegraaf, in which we talk about sexual messages, and attempts to cover up the case. The Dutch newspaper reported that Horner tried to offer the employee 650.000 pounds (around 700.000 euros) through his lawyer to prevent her from pursuing the case. However, the woman refused to accept the deal and forwarded Horner's messages to the lawyer who is investigating the case. The trial is still in full swing, but with the start of testing the paddock brought everyone, journalists and influential F1 figures together for the first time since the case emerged. This generated further rumors, this time from a journalist, Mervi Kallio.
As reported by the Finnish journalist Mervi Kallio in a Viaplay broadcast, There's already talk in the pits that Horner will step aside. Red Bull, independently of the trial, had launched an investigation into the case after becoming aware of the allegations. And she would have come to a conclusion, excluding the team principal. But then why is Horner still there? The reason, explains the pit correspondent, is perhaps to be found in the fine-tuning of the details. Red Bull is trying to come out of this whole situation clean. In fact there is much more at stake than a change of team principal. Such as the partnership with Ford.
“Of course, this is just speculation,” continued Kallio who then clarified that the decision could arrive as early as next week. Before the start of the race weekend in Bahrain. Kallio also told Viaplay that Red Bull's board of directors would ban anyone working in the garage from commenting on the Horner case.
