Roughly a year ago, Ford announced that it would be making its long-awaited return to Formula 1 racing as part of a new partnership with the Oracle Red Bull team. The Blue Oval will produce power units for Red Bull starting in 2026, which will also help FoMoCo develop its next-generation all-electric powertrain technology at the same time. Building a competitive power unit from the ground up in a short period of time is a risky endeavor by Ford’s own admission, but it’s one that could pay off big time if successful, given F1’s soaring popularity. However, as Ford Authority reported yesterday, the automaker has something else that it has to keep an eye on – an investigation into Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner – which it says should be completed with full transparency, according to the Financial Times.
According to unnamed sources, Ford sent a letter to the Red Bull team owner asking it to be “transparent” in its investigation into Horner, as well as fully open in how it handles allegations of workplace misconduct against the team principal. As of now, no details regarding the alleged incident have been revealed, though the investigation is reportedly being conducted by an external specialist.
Ford isn’t reportedly pushing Red Bull to make a decision either way, but did iterate that it expects the company to take the matter seriously, as well as outlining its expectations that the query come to a conclusion in rapid fashion. Interestingly, sources indicated that FoMoCo could potentially walk away from its planned partnership with Red Bull, though there’s no indication that it’s considering such a move.
In the meantime, Horner has thus far proclaimed his innocence, while Red Bull has declined to comment on the matter. “Obviously, there’s a process that’s ongoing at the moment. Some allegations have been made which I fully deny and I comply, obviously, with that process and will continue to do so,” Horner said. “I think it’s been very clear and the position of Red Bull has been that it’s business as normal. Obviously there’s a job to do and I deny fully the accusations that have been made. My role obviously continues.”
We’ll have more on this investigation soon, so sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford motorsports news and continuous Ford news coverage.
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