It is understood that Red Bull boss, Christian Horner is under investigation for what is thought to be a non-sporting related incident.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that the Briton is under investigation by his team following a claim by a member of staff.

"After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation," said the team in a brief statement. "This process, which is already underway, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister.

"The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."

Horner has headed the team since it entered F1 in 2005, and has overseen its numerous titles with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

According to De Telegraaf, Red Bull's chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff is taking the allegations seriously.

The news comes ahead of the launch of the car on 15 February with which Max Verstappen hopes to secure a fourth title.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 09/02/2024 0:35

"The conjecture surrounding this current issue is being ramped up and the interesting thing is that Horner is getting a lot of positive support in social media, which is the opposite to what I expected! In a broader sense maybe the fan base is getting fed up with the 'wokies' intruding into every facet of our sport/business/entertainment. Lets hope so. If it really is found to be a politically charged issue then a lot hinges on the results tabled by the judicial investigators. It would see the very base of RB eroded and the results of that would be dramatic. We're already seeing a determined media introduce the 'somewhat fractious relationships' between the Verstappens, Marko and even Adrian Newey let alone others that they have in their sights. Big stakes and big changes hinge on this latest issue....ongoing domination by one team does not always translate to better business."

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2. Posted by kenji, 07/02/2024 1:49

"As to the nature of the complaint...speculation is rife with emphasis by some people who see an internicine battle for control of RBR as being the driving force. In this 'woke' world all manner of things can be mistrued and misrepresented in the pursuit of an narrow ideological agenda. One source, unnamed, even claimed that Mintzlaff felt that Horner was too powerful and too expensive ! Imagine that.....especially when the team is just a few days out from launching their new challenger. I expect, as usual, that there is far more to this story than we are being told."

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3. Posted by Laps, 06/02/2024 19:36

"Helmut 1, Christian 0"

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4. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 06/02/2024 19:30

"One person’s “aggressive management style” or “controlling behaviour” is another person’s assertiveness, decisiveness and clarity of vision. It’s increasingly difficult to know where the line is in high pressure environments where the corporate and sporting worlds collide. "

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5. Posted by BruceBoy, 06/02/2024 15:57

"So according to fresh reports

"Though Red Bull has not confirmed the nature of the complaint, BBC Sport understands the claims relate to an allegation of inappropriate and controlling behaviour."

A control freak - who'd have thought!?! I mean isnt that everyone if F1 ha"

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6. Posted by Spindoctor, 06/02/2024 15:13

"I'm sure all (or at least some tit-bits) will be revealed in good time. I very much doubt Horner is daft enough to have been caught in some minor peccadillo, so I expect this to fade away.
Should the "worst" happen it would undoubtedly be a blow to RBR, but I doubt it would be more than a minor pothole on the road to the 2024 championships."

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7. Posted by kenji, 06/02/2024 14:42

"@MVR. Segsual misconduct! Is this a fact...you actually know the details for the complaint? Curious to know where that came from.....source."

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8. Posted by Stitch431, 06/02/2024 13:06

"I wonder if it is coming form the inside (power struggle), or if it comes from one of the competitors, trying to weaken Red Bull Racing ..."

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9. Posted by MVR, 06/02/2024 11:18

"So now taking allegations of sexual misconduct seriously is being "woke"?

Many of the comments below imply that there's nothing to it and it's political/woke. No wonder women don't often come out with the allegations against powerful people."

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10. Posted by equator180, 06/02/2024 9:47

"Two mentions of "How seriously we take this!" in this article, I can smell the woke through the screen!"

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11. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 05/02/2024 22:48

"I wonder is this will make Horner sweat a bit, while details of this leak. I can see it now;
"Little Chris Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his humble pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said" what a good boy am I!""

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12. Posted by @R1Racing71, 05/02/2024 18:21

"Huuuummm, isn’t there a Power struggle going on in Reb Bull at the moment?"

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13. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 05/02/2024 16:58

"Horner heads to Ferrari with Hamilton "

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14. Posted by habentsen, 05/02/2024 16:30

"Looking in my crystal ball I see this:
Horner is booted and the team implodes.
Merc makes a turd of a car this year.
Hamilton is WDC in 2025 and 2026 for Ferrari.

You read it here first!
"

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15. Posted by Wokingchap, 05/02/2024 14:48

"Can't wait to see WHAT allegations exactly. "

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Horner under investigation

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