19/02/2024
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone has denied reports in the media that in the midst of the ongoing investigation in to his conduct he advised Christian Horner to step down as team boss at Red Bull.
An already intriguing, but utterly confusing, case has taken a further twist as the former F1 supremo took to social media.
"To clarify reports by newspapers that I had urged or suggested that Christian Horner should step down from his position in Red Bull is entirely UNTRUE," Ecclestone posted on Instagram, his post being subsequently shared by his wife, Fabiana, the FIA Vice-President for Sport.
The claim that Ecclestone had advised Horner to step down came from the German media, whilst it was the Dutch media that originally broke the story of the investigation into Horner's conduct.
As the investigation continues, it is not known exactly what Horner is accused off or where the accusation comes from, but that hasn't prevented some wild speculation.
Once the British media latched on to the story - it's main interest being Horner's wife, a former Spice Girl, who in the greater scheme of things is more famous than her husband - the speculation centred on the possibility of Horner acting improperly towards a female employee, however the focus subsequently switched to his attitude and talk of bullying.
Indeed, Russian F1 commentator Alexey Popov claims the allegations centre on how Horner spoke to a female employee, dismissing all talk of harassment and improper conduct.
Clearly referring to talk of a behind the scenes power struggle that has come in the wake of Dietrich Mateschitz's death in 2022, Ecclestone said: "They want to overthrow him. He has achieved enormous success and has made incredible efforts not only for the team, but also for the sport.
"Apart from keeping his head down, my advice to Christian is to do nothing and wait and see what happens," he is quoted as saying by AFP. "I am in close contact with him.
"The problem is that when you succeed, you make a lot of enemies. What I hope is that someone will talk to him and the woman individually and everything will be worked out."