Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has conceded that the ongoing internal investigation into his conduct has been a distraction for the F1 team although he insists the latter remains “very together”.
Last Friday, Horner attended a ten-hour meeting with an independent lawyer appointed by executives from parent company Red Bull GmbH in Austria to shed light on the allegations of inappropriate behaviour directed at the Red Bull Racing team principal.
At this stage, it is understood that the claims made by a female member of Red Bull Racing relate to an allegation of controlling behaviour, an accusation that Horner has vehemently denied.
However, it has been suggested that the investigation process could last several weeks and even extend past the start of the 2024 F1 season in Bahrain on March 2.
While the procedure unfolds, Horner has continued in his role with the team, participating in both the RB20's shakedown at Silverstone on Tuesday and in the team's official launch on Thursday evening at Milton Keynes.
Though unable to comment on specifics due to the ongoing investigation, Horner addressed its broader impact on Red Bull's preparations.
"Inevitably there has been a distraction, but the team are very together,” he said on Thursday at the team’s presentation of its new RB20 car.
"Everybody's focused on the season ahead. So it's been very much business as normal. The support has been fantastic."
Horner described Red Bull Racing as “gearing up for the season ahead” and being “in very good shape.”
"We're fully focused on going racing,” he added. “Looking forward to being in Bahrain next week and seeing RB20 run. And the one thing that focuses everybody's attention is the car. We're very united and together in that focus."
Despite having to deal with the investigation process, Horner insisted his focus was first and foremost on the business at hand.
"Obviously, my focus is very much on the season ahead," he said. "It has been business as normal, obviously there is an investigation, obviously, that I'm complying and working with fully.
“But that is very much going on in the background whilst we're preparing the season ahead."
Horner played down reports of a power struggle emerging at Red Bull in the wake of the passing of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022 and currently opposing the company’s Austrian and Thai shareholders who may have found themselves at opposite ends regarding the future of the F1 team.
"We're very united," he said. "We've always had tremendous support from the shareholders since Dietrich's passing.
“The shareholders have been incredibly supportive, and you can see the level of investment that there is with Powertrains, with the future of Formula 1."
As for Red Bull's star driver, three-time world champion Max Verstappen, the Dutchman insisted recent developments had not impacted his relationship with Horner in any way.
“It’s the same as always,” he said on Thursday. “I can tell you that.
“I don’t know who likes to write these kind of things, but between me and Christian it’s like always.”
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