14 March 2024 , 12:04
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Christian Horner insists he can see a "very clear route" ahead as Red Bull keep winning despite plenty of off-track distractions over the past six weeks.
A female colleague accused the 50-year-old of inappropriate behaviour, promoting an investigation at the start of February. But the grievance against Horner was later dismissed and the complainant has since been suspended by the team.
Despite being cleared, there remains tremendous pressure on Horner's position. That is thanks in no small part to Jos Verstappen, father of the team's star driver Max, who publicly called for the team principal to be replaced.
It is a symptom of the power struggle going on behind the scenes not only at the racing team but in the Red Bull parent company. And the feeling is that Horner's place at the team he has led since its inception in 2005 is still not secure.
Regardless, he remains bullish about what the future holds. The 50-year-old has no intention of giving up his position without a fight and, after a near-perfect start to the new season with back-to-back one-two finishes in the opening rounds, is delighted that results have not suffered.
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He said: "We're focused on winning, and that is what we do. That is how we've started the season, and obviously I am aware of all the noise, but it hasn't distracted the team from the job.
"We are one team, and with the speculation about Helmut, Helmut doesn't work for me, he doesn't work for Red Bull Racing, he works for Red Bull GmbH.
"But I think you can see a very clear route that is looking forward and wanting to continue this incredible winning streak that we've been on. I am sure that every team in the paddock would love to have Max but, as Toto Wolff said, the best drivers always want to be in the best cars.
"Max achieved his 56th Grand Prix victory [in Jeddah] and his 100th podium, all of which have been in Red Bull Racing cars. As a team, we perform exceptionally well together, and everybody has a role to play in that team, whether it is from the designers, the support staff through all 22 different departments that make up Red Bull Racing.
"If everybody isn't doing their part, you don't have performance like this, so as a team, we're performing at an exceptionally high level, and we expect to see that continue."