Before allegations of sexual misbehavior by a Red Bull employee against the Formula One team principal were made public, Christian Horner reportedly offered a £650,000 compensation to a journalist working for the Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
Horner disputes the charges made by a female Red Bull employee, as an inquiry into ‘inappropriate behaviour’ continues ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain, which begins on Wednesday, February 21.
According to De Telegraaf, Horner was accused of sexual misconduct in December 2023.
The Dutch media site also claims to have seen Horner’s sexually provocative communications to the employee, which were sent over a long period of time and were circulating in the F1 paddock throughout the 2023 season.
Horner has refuted all claims since De Telegraaf reported on the independent Red Bull probe.
Since then, Motorsport-Total.com alleged that Jos Verstappen leaked the information to the Dutch press, while Helmut Marko has yet to respond to his colleague’s comments. Even his friendship with Adrian Newey is reportedly strained.
It is stated that Horner has the support of Red Bull co-owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns 51% of the firm, despite potential problems inside the racing team between Horner, Marko, and other key people such as Red Bull GmbH director Oliver Mintzlaff.
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