MILTON KEYNES.- Red Bullworld champion team Formula 1unveiled this Thursday its car for the 2024 season amid speculation about the future of its top manager Christian Horner, the subject of an internal investigation for “inappropriate behavior” with a subordinate.
Present at the team’s facilities in Milton Keynes (England) to unveil the RB20 that will be driven by the current Dutch triple world champion Max Verstappen and the Mexican Sergio Pérez, Horner appeared in a dark suit before a few hundred guests present to launch the twentieth season of the Austrian firm in Formula 1.
The 50-year-old leader, accused within the team of “inappropriate behavior” according to the press, made almost no comments.
When asked what the team’s mood was currently, Horner simply responded to the international press, to whom he had asked not to ask questions related to the investigation, that they remained “very united” and that “everyone is focused on the next season.”
“It is evident that there is an investigation with which I fully collaborate. But all that takes place in the background,” he said.
Since February 5, the team’s historic ‘Main Team’ has been immersed in a storm after revelations in the press about the ongoing internal investigation, information confirmed by Red Bull in a statement. The team has not given more details about the facts that Horner is accused of.
According to the press, the Briton is accused of “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee, “accusations” that the interested party “totally rejects”, cited by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
He testified last Friday before a “specialized lawyer outside” Red Bull, but no decision regarding his future has been announced at the moment.
Verstappen was also asked about Horner’s situation and threw things out, claiming to be “very focused on work to be prepared” to defend his title.
“My life does not revolve only around Formula 1, I prefer not to think much about it outside of scheduled training sessions,” he said.
Red Bull bets on maintaining dominance:
On a purely sporting level, the new car unveiled on Thursday, which largely features the colors of its predecessor, presents “improvements in all aspects, mechanical, aerodynamic…”, explained chief engineer Adrian Newey.
Will it be enough to keep competitors at bay? “With stable regulations (from 2022), logically there will be a convergence” towards the upper part, Horner predicts.
“We can see that there are cars that have been influenced by the RB19 (Red Bull’s car in 2023), so we hope that there are other teams that converge,” he said.
Last year, Red Bull was the great dominator of the Formula 1 season, winning 21 of the program’s 22 Grand Prix.
The new Formula 1 season begins the weekend of March 1-3 in Bahrain.
FOUNTAIN: AFP
