Christian Horner, Principal of the Red Bull Formula One Racing team has been in the news this week after reports made against him in February by a female employer came to light. The reports were related to ‘coercive behaviour’, allegations which Horner has vehemently denied, and an investigation launched by Red Bull has conceded in his favor*…
*‘Conceded in his favor’ despite evidence in the form of a Google Drive folder containing hundreds of leaked messages, many of them of a sexually explicit nature, suggesting otherwise… In the seedy WhatsApp messages, Horner is seen pestering a woman for photos, commenting on her choice of clothing, and repeatedly asking her to delete their chat history. At one point, the female employee asked her boss (Christian Horner) how he would feel if Geri (Horner’s wife) were to message someone in the way he was. Yet it is the woman (of course, it’s always the woman) who is being reprimanded after her complaints were dismissed.
Horner has refused to say if the leaked messages are genuine, which says a lot. If someone had leaked fake messages claiming to be from me, then I would be the first person to say; ‘Hold on a minute, these are fake…’ The fact that Horner hasn’t done this speaks volumes. He just wants to ‘brush it under the carpet’/’forget about it and move on’, a sentiment which he keeps reiterating when asked by the media to comment on the matter.
“An awful lot has been made out of this,” said Horner.
Speaking at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he added: “The time now is to draw a line under it.”
Horner emphasised that Red Bull’s board dismissed the complaint last week.
He said: “The reality is that there was a grievance raised, and it was dealt with in the most professional manner by the group, that appointed an independent* KC, one of the most reputable in the land. He took time to investigate all the facts. He looked at everything and he came to a conclusion where he dismissed the grievance. As far as I’m concerned, as far as Red Bull is concerned, we move on.”
*Yet Red Bull has refused to name the lawyer involved/give any insight into the report compiled, or explain why the decision to dismiss the complaint was made. It all just sounds very… sketchy? to me. Even more so given Horner’s power within the Formula One circuit. Having been presidant of Red Bull racing since 2005, a career spanning just short of two decades which has seen his worth skyrocket to a staggering £50 million, he is highly respected and, unsurprisingly, has many (many) contacts.
One such contact is Jos Verstappen, former racing driver and father of Horner’s star driver/Red Bull’s three-time world champion, Max Verstappen. A rarity though, Jos does not stand in support of Horner, as his recent comments to the Daily Mail highlight;
Asked to comment on his father’s statement against Horner, Max simply said; ‘he [Jos] is not a liar, that is for sure.’
?
Make of that what you will, but the fact that Max, who of course knows Horner very well, having joined the Red Bull racing team eight years ago (2016), is supporting his father’s comments regarding Horner ‘causing the problems’ is telling…
Someone who is showing Horner unwavering support, however, is his wife, Geri Halliwell, as photographed together below at a Grand Prix on Saturday.
A source told The Sun that Halliwell wants the female colleague “out of the picture” and “has laid down some strict ground rules”.
“One is that Christian cuts or reduces contact with the woman,” the source told the news outlet.
And, well… Geri’s wishes came true on Thursday (07/03) when Red Bull announced that the woman who accused Horner had been suspended. Approached by the media to explain the rationale behind their decision, all they have had to say on the matter is that it would be “inappropriate” to comment.
‘Inappropriate?’, I’d say that the only ‘inappropriate’ thing here is Red Bull’s actions. What message does it send to other women? Report a powerful man and get suspended?
Why wasn’t Horner suspended while the investigation took place, as would have been the protocol in any other situation like this?
Why was Horner allowed to continue working alongside his accuser?
Why was the accusor suspended?
The double standards that exist are staggeringly evident and we must not sit back and let this become the norm.
ANARKISS 