Christian Horner decision deadline surfaces with 'hearing to take place this week'
Christian Horner's future is looking uncertain following allegations of misconduct from a Red Bull employee.
Hearings on Christian Horner's alleged misconduct are set to take place at the Red Bull factory this Friday, according to new reports. The team principal is currently under investigation following formal complaints from an employee.
News first broke regarding the situation on Monday after Dutch news publication De Telegraaf stated that the company had launched an investigation into Horner following complaints of inappropriate behaviour from a Red Bull employee. For his part, the Red Bull boss strongly denies any wrongdoing, stating: "I completely deny these claims."
This was then followed by a report from AP later that day, confirming that the misconduct allegations centred around Horner's aggressive management style.
Confirming the investigation, Red Bull stated: "After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.
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"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."
A fresh report from German news outlet Auto Motor und Sport has now confirmed that a hearing regarding the allegations will take place at the team's factory in Milton Keynes on Friday.
The reigning world champions are hoping to have the unfortunate situation behind them in time for the launch of the RB20 on 15 February, so as not to overshadow the event.
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Should the independent investigation find the alleged misconduct to be true, Red Bull will likely be forced to find a new team principal on short notice with the first race of the season less than a month away.
However, in the meantime, Horner is continuing his team principal duties as normal. The 50-year-old was present at the F1 Commission meeting in London on Monday.
The Milton Keynes-based team will see this incident as an unwanted distraction as they look to start the season off strong in a bid to defend both the Drivers' Championship and Constructors' Championship titles.