08 February 2024 , 17:17
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David Coulthard questioned social media "overreaction" to the investigation into Christian Horner as he discussed the allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour' made against the Red Bull Racing chief.
The allegation was made against team principal Horner by a female colleague. The matter has been taken seriously by the parent company which announced the investigation earlier this week.
Horner has strongly denied the claims made against him. He is due to meet with the external investigator hired by Red Bull on Friday to answer questions about the case and present his side of the story.
Coulthard and former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan began the latest episode of their Formula For Success podcast by discussing the situation. Naturally, they could not speculate on the matter and risk jeopardising the investigation.
But Coulthard, who raced under Horner for the team and remains a Red Bull Racing ambassador, questioned how some people have reacted to the news. He said: "I've seen all sorts of overreaction on social media, you know, people calling for Christian to resign, and for him to be suspended... all these sorts of things.
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"But, as always, everybody deserves their moment to be able to explain their position. I believe that will be happening on Friday in Christian's case. I don't know about the other party involved. So, maybe by next week, we'll have some clarity on that particular situation."
Jordan agreed, replying: "I endorse what you've just said. That's the basic rule, isn't it? Until proven guilty, the case is absolutely sub judice. Having said that, they do have to have - and I'm sure you will agree David - to have finality on this one way or another by next week.
"Because it would be absolutely very hard to see, with a car launch, if Christian was there and there was no answer in all of these situations. As you rightly say, people are jumping on the bandwagon and coming up with their theory, which is conspiracy theory or call it what you like.
"I just want to tell people though, nevertheless, it is a Red Bull head office story. It's not a Red Bull Racing story. So you can see why the barrister has been appointed because HR in that group and that company and what the brand stands for and how they deliver their product is hugely important."
Red Bull do indeed hope to have the matter resolved before its season launch event on Thursday, February 15. A final decision on Horner's future is not likely on Friday, though, as the investigator is expected to take time to consider the evidence before making recommendations to Red Bull, which will most likely happen early next week.