Red Bull staffer at heart of Christian Horner saga makes new career move

The staff member at the heart of allegations of inappropriate behaviour against Christian Horner last season has found a new role in motorsport.

Allegations made against Horner dominated the news in the early weeks of the F1 2024 campaign and are thought to have planted the seeds for his ultimate dismissal.

Christian Horner accuser leaves Red Bull for new role

Christian Horner found himself embroiled in allegations of inappropriate conduct in early 2024, prompting internal investigations that jeopardised his position within the organisation.

Horner was twice cleared of wrongdoing while the staff member, whom PlanetF1.com has not identified amid legal considerations, was suspended on full pay.

It’s understood that the individual departed Red Bull earlier this year and has recently taken up a new post within the industry.

The saga is thought to have laid the foundations of Horner’s eventual dismissal as team principal and CEO of Red Bull in the days following the British Grand Prix.

Summoned to a meeting in London, Horner was axed at the same time as the squad’s communications director and its head of marketing.

No explanation has been forthcoming for the decision to replace its team leader mid-season.

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Horner had been at the helm of the organisation since it entered F1 in 2005, overseeing six Constructors’ Championship and eight drivers’ titles.

The most recent of those was Max Verstappen’s crown last year as the Milton Keynes operation slipped to third in the teams’ competition.

Red Bull’s subdued form through the second half of F1 2024, which has carried over into the start of F1 2025, are also thought to have been factors in Horner’s removal.

Jos Verstappen, father of Max, was also critical of Horner’s ongoing role within the organisation. At the height of the saga in early 2024 the Dutchman suggested the team would “explode” should he remain. He added that the team was “in danger of being torn apart.”

Tensions between the team principal and Verstappen Snr eased somewhat but are understood to have remained, with he and Helmut Marko forming something of a faction against Horner.

Their apparent efforts ultimately succeeded, likely through a combination of the team’s downturn in performance, concerns Max Verstappen was a flight risk, tensions within the camp, all set against a backdrop of the events of a year ago.

Read more: How Red Bull 2.0 began life without Christian Horner at the Belgian GP