Horner declares business as normal despite allegations

The Briton was as much in the spotlight as the shiny RB20 machine as he broke silence and faced the media for the first time since the emergence of accusations that threaten his future.

Taking centre stage at the Red Bull factory for a presentation celebrating the team’s 20 years in Formula One, with seven drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships, Horner suggested the future looked bright.

The elephant in the room was not ignored for long, with Horner carrying out television interviews and media sessions and making clear he was still planning to be around for the long term.

“I deny the allegations, for me it’s business as normal, I’m confident in that. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” the 50-year-old told reporters.

“I don’t want to talk about the process. My focus and commitment is to the people and to the team and making sure that we’re in the best shape possible for the season ahead,” added the sport’s longest-serving principal.

“You can see that we’ve got a car that looks a great evolution from last year and we’re going to have some very competitive rivals that are looking to beat us. My focus is very much on Bahrain next week.”

Testing starts on Feb. 21 before the March 2 season-opener in Bahrain. Red Bull won all but one of the races last season with Dutch driver Max Verstappen taking his third title in a row.

Horner, who is married to former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, would not discuss the allegations against him or a hearing that took place last week, and reporters were warned against asking.

Media reports have indicated the complaint related to inappropriate behaviour of a controlling nature towards a female member of staff.

The independent investigation was launched by Red Bull Austria, who have not disclosed where the complaint came from or what it was about. Sources have suggested the process could rumble on for some time.

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Horner, who attended a shakedown of the new car behind closed doors at Silverstone on Tuesday, said he was “absolutely committed” to the team.

Asked whether he expected to be in Bahrain, Horner replied: “I am confident in the process and working with the process deny absolutely any allegation that’s been made against me.”

He said he had continued going to work as usual and felt ‘overwhelming’ support.

“Moments of uncertainty, it brings a team together and I’ve never seen a team more together or more supportive than it is,” said the Briton.

“Everybody’s focused on one thing, which is the performance of that car to go out and defend both the world titles that we’ve worked so hard to achieve over the last couple of years. The car is what everyone is invested in.”

Verstappen, speaking separately to reporters, said the team spirit was better than ever and his relationship with Horner unchanged.

“We’ve achieved a lot of things together so that doesn’t change suddenly.” he said.