Ford Watching Red Bull Investigation Into Christian Horner

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. Now, however, Ford has something else that it has to keep an eye on – an investigation into Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, according to the Associated Press.

This news comes on the heels of accusations by a Red Bull employee regarding misconduct on the part of Christian Horner, which the company is investigating internally. It’s unclear what, exactly, these allegations consist of, but Ford has made it clear that it intends to await the outcome of Red Bull’s investigation before commenting on the matter or taking any sort of action.

“As a family company, and a company that holds itself to very high standards of behavior and integrity, we do expect the same from our partners,” said Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook. “It appears to us, and what we’ve been told, was that Red Bull is taking the situation very seriously. And of course, they’re worried about their brand, as well. And that’s why they’ve got an independent investigation and until we see what truth comes out of that, it’s too early for us to comment on it all.”

“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 Ford’s return to F1 soon, so sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford motorsports news and continuous Ford news coverage.