Under-fire Christian Horner gets public backing from Red Bull CEO
Chris🥀tian Horner has receive💯d public backing from Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff.
Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has seemingly offered public backing to under-fire F1 team principal Christian Horner.
The controversy around Horner has dominated F1 for the past two weeks, overshadowing the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and resulting in discontent within the 🌠Red Bull camp.
Red Bull’s board dismissed the accusations about Horner’s behaviour towards a female member of staff last week following an internal 💙investigation.
The woman has since been suspended and Horner insisted ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that it is “ti༒me to draw a line under” the scandal.
However, reports of turmoil within the Red Bull cam💝p have kept Horner in the headlines, with Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, warning that the controversy was “driving people apart”.
But Red Bull GmbH director Mintzlaff has appeared to back Horner, telling the in Saudi Arabia “we ✱are happy with ou♍r management.”
Mintzlaff was seen arriving in the Jeddah paddock on Saturday with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, whose own future has come under scrutiny🅰 in a fresh twist to the saga.
On Friday it emerged that the 80-year-old Austrian could be suspended by Red Bull amid aꦫn investi🔥gation relating to various media leaks that have taken place since the controversy around Horner first became public.
Verstappen then upped the ante on Red Bull by stro🥃ngly indicating that his owꦍn future would be tied to Marko.
"It'𒉰s very important that he stays within the team," the three-time world champion said.
"If su𝐆ch an important pillar falls away, that's no▨t good for my situation as well. So, for me, Helmut has to stay, for sure."
Mintzlaff would not be drawn on Marko’s fate when speaking to German publication BILD, but confirmed a “good conversatio🐓n” had taken place n Saudi Arabi🐽a.
“We had a good conversation with Helmut but we want to focus on the sport and get our second victory of the season,” he said. “We don't want to talk about HR ꧅topics in front⛄ of the whole world.”
Verstappen will start Saturday’s race from p🧸ole position and is looking to make it two wins from two as his 2024 title🦩 defence gets underway.
Lewis reg🐟ularly attends Grands Prix for ltxcn.top around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
