D-day for Horner: What will happen today at Red Bull Racing?

What's all the fuss about?

Via Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf and website F1-Insider, it emerged at the beginning of the week that Horner has been accused of displaying inappropriate behaviour towards a Red Bull Racing employee. The team boss of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez reportedly behaved in an "authoritarian" manner towards the employee. Red Bull - the parent organisation in Austria - are taking the allegations extremely seriously and are launching an investigation. An independent lawyer has been asked to investigate the case.

What does this lawyer want to find out?

Obviously, the lawyer wants to find out whether Horner crossed boundaries. To this end, several talks have been held recently with those directly involved within the organisation, and it seems the complaining employee has also already been questioned. According to De Telegraaf, there is plenty of evidence of inappropriate behaviour by Horner, but the nature of the evidence remains further conjecture. Horner strongly denies the allegations.

Why is it important for Red Bull to get to the bottom of this?

Society has certainly changed since the MeToo period. For example, a statement or behaviour that was still dismissed as a joke in the past can now have serious consequences for the perpetrator. Victims are also more emphatically encouraged to make things like this known in the workplace.

Red Bull wants their employees to work in a safe environment. This is one of the reasons why the Austrian company - like so many companies - wants to tackle inappropriate behaviour. Moreover, an empire like Red Bull cannot afford the image damage if a manager has behaved inappropriately but does not have to bear the consequences.

Is Christian Horner guilty?

It's impossible to say without the facts. It is of the utmost importance that a thorough investigation be carried out so that all the facts are revealed. Only then can a balanced judgement be made.

What is in store today?

To get the facts straight, the independent lawyer must speak to everyone involved. This Friday, it is Christian Horner's turn to tell his side of the story. The investigator will no doubt then report back to his client, in this case, Red Bull corporate in Austria. There, it will be decided whether Horner will stay on or not.

There seems to be quite a rush on the investigation?

There is that impression. On 15 February - i.e. next week - Red Bull Racing will present the RB20, the car with which Verstappen will take a shot at his fourth consecutive world drivers' title. Red Bull hopes the focus during this presentation will be entirely on that and not on an issue surrounding team boss Horner.

So, will we know today or next Thursday whether Christian Horner will stay on at Red Bull Racing?

Again, that has not been said. As indicated earlier, it is important to conduct thorough investigations. If no final decision on Horner's staying on is made in the coming days, it is easy to imagine the team boss being absent during the presentation in Milton Keynes.