Is the Horner affair now over? No, it is likely to get much worse
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- Ludo van Denderen
With a brief press release without further substantive details, Red Bull and Christian Horner hope that a line has been drawn under an affair that gripped the team and Formula 1 for months. But whether the woman accusing Horner of inappropriate behaviour will now cease her fight against Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's boss is highly questionable. There is a significant chance that the affair could be followed up in a British court, with more consequences for Horner.
After the Red Bull GmbH management received the first signals that an employee of the racing team had accused Christian Horner of displaying inappropriate behaviour, there was internal surprise at how the team boss dealt with the allegations. Instead of saying 'sorry' and immediately buying off the complaint with compensation - on the condition that no one would ever speak about it - he went on the full attack. Before long, the whole affair hit the media, resulting in a PR nightmare for Red Bull, Red Bull Racing and Horner.
Alleged messages from Horner circulated
Had the complainant's feelings been handled carefully immediately after the complaint, the case could never have derailed as it eventually was. At least, that was the thinking among those involved. Instead of a settlement quietly - something that, according to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, was only proposed earlier this year after the case went public - it became a media show. Thus, the alleged WhatsApp conversations between Horner and the complainant circulated from an unknown whistleblower, after which Red Bull GmbH in Austria had no choice but to still investigate the case internally.
An independent and unknown barrister - fully paid for by Red Bull - then conducted an independent investigation and came to the conclusion: Horner had done nothing wrong with regard to the now suspended woman. She exercised her right of appeal, after which a second barrister, together with the original barrister, took a renewed look at the case. It took them many months to reach a conclusion.
Will the complainant go to court?
It reportedly took so long because the barristers did not see eye to eye: the new barrister allegedly found Horner guilty, while the first maintained that there was nothing wrong. As of Thursday afternoon, however, the investigation had concluded: 'Horner did nothing improper'. How the two barristers finally came to an agreement is unclear. The chances of this ever coming out are virtually nil, as both lawyers have a duty of confidentiality.
With Red Bull GmbH's announcement, the case has by no means come to an end. For instance, Red Bull must now decide what happens to the still-suspended woman. Will she get her job back or will she be dismissed? The woman must also decide whether to accept the outcome of the investigation. GPblog has learned that she is emphatically leaning towards taking the case to the civil court.
British tabloids could feast on the affair
In that case, Horner and Red Bull have more to deal with. To date, all that has gone on between Horner and the woman has remained relatively vague - apart from alleged WhatsApp messages - but a public trial will reveal all the details. The British tabloids will no doubt report extensively on such a case, quoting from witness accounts and the evidence in full. However such a trial ends, Horner will always suffer publicity damage.
If 'shall be prosecuted' can be written anywhere, it is under this story; however Horner and Red Bull hope (perhaps against their better judgement) that everything is now settled.