Another day in Formula 1’s never-ending soap opera – and another day far from the end of a story that threatens to tear Red Bull and the sport apart.
To recap the latest developments, it was revealed early on Thursday that the female colleague who made allegations of “inappropriate, coercive behaviour” against Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner, who was cleared by an internal investigation, has been suspended on full pay by Red Bull. Competition.
Although we do not yet know the reasons for the restraining order and whether the suspension can be lifted, the outlook for this situation is beyond unpleasant at the moment. It’s shocking that Formula 1, a sport that prides itself on making so much progress in terms of inclusion and diversity in recent years, has allowed the issue to get to this point. The message from the all-female racing series F1 Academy, on the eve of kicking off its second season on International Women’s Day, is truly dire.
It implies to women: be quiet. Do not speak out against the behavior of senior staff in your workplace. If you do, prepare for your own job to be at risk, not the alleged perpetrator’s.
The accuser remained on duty at his base in Milton Keynes until Monday but will now likely consider his legal options, such as an appeal or even an employment tribunal.
But is it officially from Red Bull? Nada. There is no official statement. No explanation. Apart from the usual Chinese whispers among team staff and journalists, the usual drips and drips have characterized this saga all month long. Another example of corporate transparency that sums up this entire process.
Throughout, Red Bull adhered to the formalities of the internal investigation and adhered to rules of “no comment” and confidentiality. It was a tone Horner repeated on Thursday as he demanded an end to the intrusions against his wife, Geri Halliwell, and her family.
We must immediately add that trespass brings everything to itself. Under ordinary circumstances, an employee under investigation may face at least a temporary suspension. But Horner has remained stubbornly and without any sense of remorse on camera in numerous high-profile team sessions, media interviews and last week’s season-opening race.
Trespassing was also encouraged when Geri entered the Bahrain paddock holding hands. They did not arrive together: Horner had been at the Red Bull hospitality unit hours earlier. Of course, such a show of unity is their right, but expecting cameras not to capture the moment and journalists not to investigate for details is completely incompatible with reality.
Meanwhile, Geri is also expected to take part in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah this Saturday. But don’t take photos.
More important than Horner’s victim complex is the damage this episode has done daily to F1’s carefully caricatured product over the last few years, especially in this new Netflix era. It is a sport seemingly open to change, far from the multi-billion pound boys’ club of the past.
F1 and the FIA have also made no official comment on the situation. The silence of the stakeholders and management of such a world-class sport in this case does not help, but instead raises more questions about where their loyalties lie. Instead, we hear murmurs that FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who is under internal investigation, publicly told Max Verstappen to back Horner in Bahrain last week. Verstappen, who was paired with his team, refused to elaborate on what Ben Sulayem had told him.
The subplot of this complaint – the revelation of intra-team policies against the Verstappen team, Helmut Marko and the parent company in Salzburg, as well as Horner and Thai majority owner Chalerm Yoovidhya – had led to this over the last few days. However, it’s easy to forget that at the heart of this was a woman who complained to HR about the behavior of a male supervisor, which likely included sexually explicit messages.
In the midst of unprecedented success on the track, the damage this has done to the Red Bull brand can no longer be denied. The partners will be keeping a close eye on further developments, as will their star driver and his father. Red Bull’s sister team, RB, decided to ignore the tempo of the day and list all women Ahead of International Women’s Day, they are wearing the message “You are the one making the difference” on the side of their vehicles in their clothes.
The irony is obvious. But for F1, this story takes a dangerous turn. Slowly but surely, it is undoing all the really good work the sport has done to increase the visibility of women and ethnic minorities, as well as making the paddocks a safe and welcoming place to work. More transparency is sorely needed.