Bernie Ecclestone has lashed out at claims he told Christian Horner to step down from his position as Red Bull boss. The team principal’s future hangs in the balance due to an ongoing investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which Horner himself denies.
Horner reportedly faced eight hours of questioning from an independent lawyer hired by Red Bull last Friday. The meeting is believed to have taken place at an undisclosed location away from the team’s Milton Keynes factory.
While the findings have now been passed on to Red Bull, Horner is yet to receive clarity on his future after the company’s Austrian headquarters pledged to take the accusations ‘extremely seriously’.
With the RB20 unveiling now only a day away, and the first Grand Prix of the season scheduled in less than three weeks, it was recently reported that Ecclestone had ‘advised Horner to step down’.
Ecclestone and Horner go way back, with the former recommending the latter to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz when he was looking for a team principal to spearhead his new F1 outfit in 2005.
And now, Ecclestone has made it crystal clear where he stands on Horner’s future with the following post on his Instagram story: “To clarify reports by newspapers that I had urged or suggested Christian Horner should step down from his position at Red Bull – they are entirely UNTRUE.”
They will once again be red-hot favourites to clinch the top prizes in 2024 after dominating last season. Between them, Verstappen and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez won 21 out of 22 available Grands Prix.
The likes of Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari will be in hot pursuit when this year’s action gets underway in Bahrain early next month.