The Horner affair is officially over. The saga became public knowledge at the beginning of February, when Red Bull confirmed the launch of an internal investigation to shed light on accusations made against the team principal by an employee.
On 9 February Horner was questioned in London by legal representatives appointed by Red Bull's top management, and nineteen days later the expected decision arrived: “Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been rejected, and is confident that the investigation is was fair, thorough and impartial.”
Horner thus remains at the helm of the team, a role that was entrusted to him three months before the start of the 2005 season and which had never (before the last few weeks) been questioned. In the absence of a formal complaint to the public authorities, the story began and ended within the walls of Red Bull. Obviously, as per practice, the contents of the investigation were not revealed, but only the final verdict.
Christian Horner and Adrian Newey together: they are an iron couple within the Red Bull team
Photo by: Erik Junius
The nineteen days that were needed to arrive at the decision made known yesterday testify to the complexity of a matter about which little is known but about which a lot has been said, especially in whispers. The official comments were few and formal, but with the microphones off, no one in the paddock exempted himself from having his say, painting scenarios in which Horner was seen as having left and others in which he was portrayed as the victim of a mistake, but also of an internal fire aimed at getting him out of the team.
There are few certain points. Horner suffered the blow, during last week's tests he was regularly present on the Sakhir circuit but he was certainly not the usual Horner. But, above all, there were two internal factions, one that fiercely defended its leader as opposed to another with undefined contours.
Who comes out defeated in this story? It is not certain that an answer will be reached shortly, the time required for the investigation suggests that all aspects have been evaluated, including the behavior to be adopted by all parties involved.
The mysterious hand that worked against Horner, however, still remains unclear. In the previous two weeks, many insiders, when describing the story, put on the table the Thai ownership of the group (which holds 51%) as a force opposing the Austrian one, i.e. the heirs of the deceased Dietrich Mateschitz.
In some scenarios (more or less imaginative) the figure of Helmut Marko was involved, in others the Verstappen family, describing conflicts at the highest level of the group as well as personal revenge against Horner himself. The truth is well guarded, but it is likely that any small change within the team (if there is one) will become the subject of media attention.
How does Horner get out of this story? Here too the fronts are split. For the majority of insiders the answer is “strengthened”, but there are also those who argue that Horner's confirmation could be a soft exit, that is, a last season (which promises to be triumphal) which will be followed by resignation volunteers of the CEO and team principal of the team.
The facts, however, say that Horner still holds the helm of all Red Bull Racing activities, as well as the powertrain division. Those who tried to place the shoulder in the moment of difficulty are likely to be presented with the bill in the medium to long term.
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