Cases Of Sexual Harassment, Christian Horner's Fate Will Be Determined Before The Bahrain GP

JAKARTA - Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who has denied allegations by a female employee about her behavior, could lose her job or be given the green light to continue her duties before the opening Formula Satu Bahrain Grand Prix this season on Saturday, March 2.

Sources have stated that they expect an announcement from parent company Red Bull based in Salzburg, Austria, ahead of the race in Sakhir and possibly in the next 48 hours.

An investigation into the longest-standing principle of the sport, which is also the husband of former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, has been ongoing since January although details were only publicly revealed on February 5. The England-based team has no control over the process.

Neither the energy beverage company nor the defending F1 champions have disclosed what the allegations are, although media reports have made public about inappropriate behavior and control of female co-workers.

Formula One, which is owned by US-based Liberty Media, simply says they hope this issue "will be clarified as soon as possible, after a fair and thorough process."

Sports and regulatory agencies are known to want this issue to be resolved immediately to avoid uncertainty over the race.

Horner was interviewed by an independent barrier on February 9 and the final report, submitted to the Red Bull GmbH in Austria, is believed to be based on about 60 hours of interviews with all parties.

Sky Sports television reported the document reached more than 100 pages, but details are likely to remain confidential.

Horner, 50, was tested in Bahrain last week but returned to England and has worked at the Milton Keynes plant.

Usually he will travel to Bahrain on Wednesday, where Thursday is the first day of training and qualifying on Friday. The race was held on Saturday to allow Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to hold a race before the start of the month of Ramadan.

Horner said at the launch of his team's RB20 car in Milton Keynes this month that he believed and coordinated with the process and denied "absolute any charges brought against him." If he was forced out of Red Bull it would be a major shock for the sport.

Horner and his team celebrated the most dominant season in Formula One history last year, where Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races, and will start a new season with Dutch racer Max Verstappen chasing a fourth straight title. Another rider from the team is Sergio Perez.

Red Bull is also building a powertrain operation in Milton Keynes before entering the new engine era in 2026 in partnership with Ford.