Christian Horner “interrupted” meeting to tell rival bosses he was innocent
New timeline reveals Christian Horner saga lasted longer than initially thought
Christian Horner reportedly told his fellow F1 team principals that he was innocent of the claims that Red Bull investigated him over.
Horner has now been cleared of wrongdoing after the grievance against him was “dismissed” ahead of the season-opening F1 Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.
The saga has actually lasted eight weeks, since the start of January, rather than the three weeks that it has been in the public eye, The Telegraph report.
Horner “interrupted” an F1 Commission meeting in London on Monday February 5 to tell his rival team bosses that he was innocent of the allegations made against him.
Days later, he was grilled for hours by an independent lawyer.
This week, Horner departed the UK for Bahrain on a private jet still unclear on the outcome of the investigation.
There was a possibility he might have to immediately go back home.
His jet stopped off in Austria to collect Helmut Marko because Horner was “eager to put on a united front”, the report states.
Horner had “widespread support” within the Red Bull F1 team’s Milton Keynes headquarters.
The newspaper claims that some employees might have even quit in solidarity with Horner.
Horner was exonerated of wrongdoing on Wednesday after arriving in Bahrain.
Horner has since told Sky Sports about Red Bull’s unity: “Within the team, it has never been stronger.”
A statement from a Red Bull spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed: "The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
"The complainant has a right of appeal.
"Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned.
"Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
