Former Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers doesn’t know what to think about the news about Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner. The 50-year-old Briton is accused of inappropriate behavior, and Red Bull has set up an independent investigation. Horner himself denies the accusations, but Albers fears that there is actually nothing left for the team boss of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
The accusations are said to have been made by one Red Bull team member, and that only complicates the situation. ‘It is very difficult news. We are now in a new world. More and more is coming out, no one is holding back anymore and everyone is speaking out more,” Albers realizes in the De Telegraaf podcast. “That’s only a good thing, because these kinds of things shouldn’t be swept under the rug.”
Judgment has already been made
Albers believes that the consequences will be major for Horner, regardless of the outcome of the investigation. ‘Of course this has to come out when it happens. It’s also quite difficult, because I also have mixed feelings. Whether this has happened or not, his head will be cut off,” the Dutchman predicts. ‘Horner secretly has some enemies in the paddock. There are certain team bosses who are not really charmed by him.’
‘He is in a certain position, especially as a winning team, that this is going to be a difficult story. It all still has to be proven, but if there is a complaint, and it is not just anything, then you still have a serious problem. Then there is also the pressure from people who are not charmed by you, who of course think this is fantastic. So he ends up in quite a difficult situation,” the Eindhove native summarizes.
Horner will probably not be featured much in the media in the near future, so from now on we will have to wait and see. ‘I’m certainly glad that everything is now being discussed in this world, and that people are not afraid that it will damage their career if they say something. On the other hand, you also have people who abuse these kinds of things with bad intentions. That can completely destroy someone’s career, especially with all the press. It is very difficult to turn that around once it is announced that an investigation is taking place. Of course, that investigation does not just take place,” the former driver adds. “Then it will be a difficult story, this is really not good for his career.”
‘Horner must cover it up’
‘The big problem is that it is being picked up everywhere. So even if he has done nothing, he still has a problem that cannot be stopped,” Albers continues. ‘You end up in situations where the male and female sex can hardly work together anymore. You have to take it very seriously, but it remains a difficult issue. Horner is of course a smooth talker in terms of PR,” says the Formula 1 analyst, who thinks that Horner therefore has an advantage with the Thai owners.
Albers is clear about what Horner, who is married to Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, should do now. ‘There is only one option for him. That’s very simple: try to reach an agreement with the victim as quickly as possible and see if she is interested in it, in order to cover it up as quickly as possible. That is the only way to keep his career afloat, otherwise he will have a serious problem.’
