Christian Horner came out fighting and reiterated his commitment to Red Bull as he faced up to questions and scrutiny over his position at the centre of an internal investigation.
The F1 team's chief principal is attended the launch of the new Red Bull car on Thursday despite the continued uncertainty around his position, with his job under threat, following an allegation of inappropriate behaviour, made against him by a female employee.
The allegations were announced on February 5, when the team’s parent company Red Bull GmbH confirmed that they had opened an external independent inquiry into the complaint. That investigation is ongoing, but Horner has not been suspended from his position and has denied any wrongdoing.
Horner underwent an extensive interview lasting more than eight hours with the English barrister conducting the inquiry in London last Friday and on Thursday was keen to show that it was business as usual. He sat down with journalists and Mirror Sport has the full transcript on everything that was asked, and his responses.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Q - What has the last few days been like?
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CH - Well look, my focus has been very much on the season ahead. It was great to see the car run for the first time at Silverstone, great to see the 20th edition of our Red Bull car unveiled today and so of course the process has been going on in the background but there’s been a day job to be getting on with, which has very much been focused on gearing up for the season ahead of us.
Q - Do you feel the support of the factory
CH - The support from within the business, of our partners, within the industry, has been overwhelming, so yeah, it’s… you know obviously there’s a process that’s ongoing at the moment, some allegations have been made which I fully deny and I’m complying obviously with that process and will continue to do so until its conclusion.
Q - Normally a chief executive would be suspended in this scenario, dyk why that hasn’t happened here.
CH - Well I think it’s been very clear and the position of Red Bull has been that it’s business as normal. Of course, the allegations is a process that Red Bull are running through and have confirmed that process externally, but obviously there’s a job to do and I deny fully the accusations that have been made, and my role obviously continues.
Q - Could it be a distraction for the team?
CH - Look I think at moments of, you know moments of uncertainty it brings the team together, and I’ve never seen a team more together, or more supportive than it is and you know, everybody is focused on one thing, which is the performance of that car, to go out and defend both of the world titles that we’ve worked so hard to achieve over the last couple of years, so the car is what everybody is invested in, and I look forward to seeing it in action in Bahrain next week.
Christian Horner has been adamant that he hasn't done anything wrong (Getty Images)
Q - Do you expect to be in the role in Bahrain?
CH - I’m confident in the process and working with the process. [I] deny absolutely any allegation that has been made against me and yeah, you know it’s… I just continue to work within that process until it’s concluded.
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Q - Do you see yourself involved in the future of Red Bull long-term?
CH - Look I’m absolutely committed to this team. I’ve been here since the beginning, I built this team, there’s been highs and lows along the way as you’ve seen in some of the videos that you’ve seen earlier. We’ve won 113 races, we’ve won seven drivers’ world championships, we’ve won six constructors’ world championships in 19 seasons, and that’s in the history books now but it’s what lies ahead that’s always important. And so my focus is on the future, is on Red Bull Powertrains becoming… operating a start-up engine business. We have an advanced technology business that is going to be producing the first Red Bull track car and of course there’s an awful lot going on on the campus and investment on the campus as you can see.
Q - Can you operate as normal with this in the background?
CH - Well I have done, and I will continue to do so and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the process. It’s an internal process, I can’t comment on what that process consists of and yeah, that’s all I can say.
Q - You could have backed out of today for obvious reasons but you wanted to front up?
CH - Absolutely. You know I’ve got nothing, nothing to… I deny the allegations. For me, it’s business as normal. I’m confident in that, if I wasn’t I wouldn’t be here.
Christian Horner alongside his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell (PA)Q - How challenging has this been?
CH - Look I don’t wanna talk about the process so my focus and my commitment is to the team and making sure we’re in the best place possible for the season ahead. I think you can see we’ve got a car that looks a great evolution from last year and some very competitive rivals that are looking to beat us, so my focus is very much on Bahrain next week.
Q - Has it been helpful having that to focus on?
CH - I think that’s what we do. That’s why we’re here and this team… it’s a big team, it’s one of the biggest sporting teams in the world and what has always been our strengths is the way that we work. We’ve had tremendous stability, we have very low turnover of staff. We’ve had huge continuity over the years. People work here because they love working here, they enjoy working here, and they share a passion. They share in that passion for going racing and racing against some fierce competitors.
Q - Do you feel you have the support of the senior Red Bull figures?
CH - Look we’re one team, the support from the shareholders I’ve had has been fantastic. I think the support from the shareholders following the death of Dietrich Mateschitz… again you can see the commitment there is to Formula One, to Red Bull Powertrains, to advanced technologies… the track car we’re producing with Adrian Newey. So yes, I think we’re one team and that support has been very clear.
Q - When may the process end?
CH - I think it has to run its course but I don’t have an exact date.
Christian Horner is fighting for his future as Red Bull Racing team principal (AFP via Getty Images)Q - Has this made you think about your own position in terms of walking away?
CH - No, not at all. Absolutely not. I’m fully committed to this team, I’ve built this team, I’ve convinced people to come here and work here. I enjoy working with the team, with the people. The biggest asset of the team is the people and that continues to be the case.
Q - And you will be in Bahrain?
CH - Yes, I will be in Bahrain.
Q - Was there any part in the last 20 years that you’ve envisaged not being at RB?
CH - No, my commitment has always been absolute to this team and I think all of you who know me have hopefully seen that on the good days and the bad days. The commitment has always been to this team and for me, it’s very personal this team because I’ve invested so much personally.
Q - Have you felt the support from Max and Checo and could this be a distraction to them?
CH - The whole team. The drivers, the team, the partners. The whole team have been incredible.
Q - Is Adrian Newey’s contract tied to yours in any way?
CH - Look I’m not gonna discuss the ins and outs of individual contracts. We have a great team, we have great strength in depth. Adrian has been here a long time, as I have, but there are also many others that play a key, key role so yeah, not gonna tak about contractual details of employees of the team.
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