FORD CEO Jim Farley has demanded a resolution to the investigation into Red Bull Racing chief Christian Horner.
A probe into claims of controlling behaviour and sexting allegations made by a female staffer against the F1 boss has been going on for three weeks.
In a letter dated Friday, Ford Motor Co. CEO Farley expressed his disapproval of “the unresolved allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Red Bull Racing leadership”.
He noted it had been 11 days since Ford, which is set to become Red Bull’s engine supplier in 2026 first requested further information into the investigation Red Bull’s parent company.
Writing in the letter seen by AP, Farley said: “As we have indicated previously, without satisfactory response, Ford’s values are non-negotiable.
“It is imperative that our racing partners share and demonstrate a genuine commitment to those same values.
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“My team and I are available at any time to discuss this matter. We remain insistent on, and hopeful, for a resolution we can all stand behind.”
So far, Ford is the only one of Red Bull’s corporate partners to speak publicly on the investigation into Horner.
The embattled racing chief has vehemently denied all claims threatening his position as leader of the all-conquering team of world champion Max Verstappen.
Horner was initially only under investigation over alleged controlling behaviour at work towards a female worker.
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But fresh claims then emerged alleging Horner also sent her “sexually suggestive” texts.
On Friday, The Sun reported how Horner’s fate was due to be decided within ten days.
It is understood the outcome of the investigation could be revealed as soon as tomorrow, however, the day before the first press conferences for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, reports Marca.
It could see him left without a job ahead of the F1 season opener.
Red Bull arrived in Bahrain last Tuesday evening for pre-season testing, with Horner still in his £8-million-a-year role.
So far, it has been ‘”business as usual” in the pit lane – the team principal’s go-to phrase since news of the scandal broke.
The probe threatens to overshadow the start of the new F1 season – but a final decision is expected before the opening Grand Prix race kicks off on March 2.
Last week, Horner addressed the new bombshell sexting probe and declared he wanted a conclusion as “soon as possible”.
Horner’s wife Geri Halliwell, 51, is understood to be standing firmly by her husband, who she married in 2015.
She was allegedly reduced to tears when news of the scandal broke – but privately insisted he did nothing wrong.
The bombshell claims that have rocked F1
F1 was rocked earlier this month by the sudden news that the sport’s longest-standing team principal had been placed under investigation by Red Bull’s Austria-based parent company.
This was thought to be over a “dossier of incriminating material” regarding “inappropriate and controlling behaviour” towards one female, The Telegraph reported.
Red Bull’s Austrian parent company flew an independent lawyer to the UK to question the multi-millionaire race ace and his accuser.
The former racing driver, who runs world champion Max Verstappen’s all-conquering Red Bull team, endured an eight-hour grilling over the claims last week.
Most recently however, more allegations have come out as the De Telegraaf reported that Horner allegedly sent sex messages to his employee “over an extended period of time”.
Messages were said to have been saved and presented as evidence to the external barrister running the inquiry after the woman made a complaint last December.
Mr Horner categorically denied the new allegations and is thought to be taking legal action against De Telegraaf.
An F1 source told The Sun last week that “Christian has not been sacked or asked to resign and he is not going to resign”.
The investigation raises the question of who could take over the helm of the all-conquering racing team of world champion Max Verstappen.
His wife Geri Halliwell is also said to be “terrified her life will unravel” amid Horner’s “inappropriate behaviour” probe.
The ex-Spice Girl, who was “in floods of tears” when the Red Bull boss was hit with the bombshell allegations, fears the drama will drag on for years, a source has claimed.
But Geri, 51, is understood to be standing by her husband.
She has told pals: “Christian has done nothing wrong.”
Horner has overseen a huge period of success for the racing team – winning multiple F1 championships with Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen.
Red Bull has won seven Formula One world drivers’ championships and six world constructors’ titles under Horner’s leadership.
Last season, the team won 21 of the 22 races on the global F1 tour, and Verstappen, 26, won the drivers’ crown.
Horner was awarded a CBE for services to motorsport in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List
Last weekend, she was pictured smiling alongside her husband at a horse racing event in Badbury Rings, Dorset.
But fresh reports say the Spice Girls star is “mortified and angry” over the probe.
A source told the Daily Mail: “She has gone to ground in the way she did after she left the Spice Girls.
“She’s not speaking to anyone.”
Red Bull has won seven Formula One world drivers’ championships and six world constructors’ titles under Horner’s leadership.
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Last season, the team won 21 of the 22 races on the global F1 tour, and Verstappen, 26, won the drivers’ crown.
Horner was awarded a CBE for services to motorsport in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.
Christian Horner’s life and career
CHRISTIAN Horner is among the most well-known names in Formula One having helped build Red Bull into one of the biggest teams in the sport.
1973 – Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
1991 – Wins a Formula Renault scholarship after impressing in karting races
1993-1997 – Competed in a host of competitions including British Formula Three, British Formula Two, and Formula 3000
1997 – Founded and developed the F3000 team Arden
1999 – Retired from driving and continued developing the Arden team
2005 – Appointed head of Red Bull team, becoming the youngest ever team principal at that time
2009 – Wins his first races as team principal with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
2010 – Wins the Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship with Vettel – the first of four doubles in a row
2013 – Has a daughter with ex-wife Beverly Allen shortly before the couple split
2014 – Gets engaged to Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell
2015 – Marries Halliwell in Woburn, Bedfordshire
2017 – Horner and Halliwell welcome their son
2021 – Wins another Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen, pipping Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season
2022-23 – Red Bull win the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship two years in a row
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
