And apparently RBR has suspended the person who filed the complaint about Horner? Not a good look.
https://racingnews365.com/horner-accuser-suspended-by-red-bull
And apparently RBR has suspended the person who filed the complaint about Horner? Not a good look.
https://racingnews365.com/horner-accuser-suspended-by-red-bull
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:And apparently RBR has suspended the person who filed the complaint about Horner? Not a good look.
https://racingnews365.com/horner-accuser-suspended-by-red-bull
I am speculating that they've decided that the complaint filer is responsible for the document leak.
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:And apparently RBR has suspended the person who filed the complaint about Horner? Not a good look.
https://racingnews365.com/horner-accuser-suspended-by-red-bull
Man. You don't do that unless you are 1000% sure that they made it up. They are treading on dangerous PR ground.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:codrus (Forum Supporter) said:And apparently RBR has suspended the person who filed the complaint about Horner? Not a good look.
https://racingnews365.com/horner-accuser-suspended-by-red-bull
Man. You don't do that unless you are 1000% sure that they made it up. They are treading on dangerous PR ground.
We have like 10% of the relevant details here. It is possible (likely?) that she broke a bunch of provisions of her employment agreement and they are on solid legal ground in terminating her. The court of public opinion is a different matter, but...
Not sure how many NFL fans we have in here but this whole situation reminds me a lot of "Spygate" and/or "Deflategate" with the Patriots. In both cases it was somewhere between possible and likely that someone on the team did something that was between a minor transgression and a medium one. But because of who was involved and the team that they were on, the media and the other teams really latched onto it and made it a HUGE story (thus the "-gate"). If the team principal of Sauber had been accused of "aggressive behavior" by an employee with no other details being public, it would barely register. Because it's RedBull everybody has their pitch forks out. However, the big difference between RedBull and the Patriots is that the Patriots rallied around their guy(s) and stayed united. Even internal to RedBull people are using this as an opportunity to try and oust Horner for their own gain. Which is further fueling the drama.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:So, R&T posted an article about a journalist's trip to the Austin race last year, then they pulled it. This has caused some controversy. R&T says it was pulled because it wasn't a good fit for them, editorially. The article itself is a pretty entertaining, well-written look at an F1 weekend from an outsider. There's a healthy dose of socio-political commentary about the sheer wealth of the whole thing, which is making some folks suspicious about the real cause of the removal.
In any case, the Wayback Machine still has it, so if you want to read it, it's right here. I found it interesting.
I found the article on Bluesky. The funny thing is that if R&T hadn't pulled it I probably wouldn't have seen it and neither would a lot of other people. Let's just say that R&T doesn't do social media well. It was an interesting read and told a few truths. Verstappen winning every race gets boring after a while and makes you want to go watch something else. She doesn't know Formula One and approaches it as an outsider. Remember when Rob Walker wrote for Road and Track? He knew a bit more about racing. Back when I actually subscribed to Road and Track. I'm not even sure what Road and Track is trying to be anymore? A magazine with road tests of cars I can't afford and don't really care about with announcements and inside info about the future building of more such cars. The British magazines do a much better job of covering Formula One, the Vintage Car world and anything else I might be interested in.
CrashDummy said:Not sure how many NFL fans we have in here but this whole situation reminds me a lot of "Spygate" and/or "Deflategate" with the Patriots. In both cases it was somewhere between possible and likely that someone on the team did something that was between a minor transgression and a medium one. But because of who was involved and the team that they were on, the media and the other teams really latched onto it and made it a HUGE story (thus the "-gate"). If the team principal of Sauber had been accused of "aggressive behavior" by an employee with no other details being public, it would barely register. Because it's RedBull everybody has their pitch forks out. However, the big difference between RedBull and the Patriots is that the Patriots rallied around their guy(s) and stayed united. Even internal to RedBull people are using this as an opportunity to try and oust Horner for their own gain. Which is further fueling the drama.
Yes, I remember those scandals well. Also, I am a Michigan football fan. Perhaps you've heard of an individual called Connor Stallions? 
In any case, you are 100% right that this wouldn't be nearly as big a deal if it was, say, Alpine. Also, there's the DTS factor. That show made Horner a household name, showed him with his family, etc. Of course people are going to be more interested in his possible shenanigans.
Bench racing the 2025 driver seats Feeding off the drama in RB lets just say there is a driver shake up, Max goes to Mercedes and Audi actually buys Sauber. Ferrari and Mclaren are set.
Alpine: continues to suck in 2024, Ocon gets a big contract to stay and Bottas comes along to be a number 2. However Andretti buys the team during the August Holiday.
Aston Martin: Lance signs a one year contract, Pierre Gasley decides to leave Alpine wanting to be a true number 1.
Haas: Zhou and Theo bring money/ Personal Sponsorship, Kevin is offered a ride in indycar but opts for a WEC seat to stay in europe. Nico is the test driver for Audi/Sauber/Stake
Mercedes: Max is offered the biggest contract to come over with the clause that Jos the boss and his entourage have to stay our of the pits.
Red Bull: Alonso considered retirement but received a phone call from Newey that he will run it back one more year to win him another championship. Carlos teamed up with his hero growing up. In a twist wins the 2025 championship by a point, beating Alonso.
Audi/Sauber/Stake: Vettel is talked into un-retiring and request Schumacher as his teammate as all german lineup. Nico becomes the test driver but ends up taking the qualifying runs wearing Micks helmet, Mick takes over for the races. FIA is notified and swiftly penalizes in 2026 and re-writes the official points.
VCARB (AT): This is a obvious move signing Liam, however Liam is contracted to run RB in 2026. Nobody else wanted Daniel so he stayed. Yuki goes to Formula E to play mario kart and moonlights as Sam Kinisson in Vegas in the off season.
Williams: Alex is signed until the end of 2025. Sergio brought Carlos Slim money, Williams accepted. Logan received a full time ride in indycar.
I think I have a bright future as a Social media propaganda sensationalist/fake journalist
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:codrus (Forum Supporter) said:And apparently RBR has suspended the person who filed the complaint about Horner? Not a good look.
https://racingnews365.com/horner-accuser-suspended-by-red-bull
Man. You don't do that unless you are 1000% sure that they made it up. They are treading on dangerous LEGAL grounds.
FYP. It's already illegal to harass someone, suspending the whistle blower makes that much worse. If they are not 1000% confident in this, someone could go to jail.
In reply to CrashDummy :
I still feel bad for anyone who works at the Watergate. The original source of "-gate".
Carlos out to have his appendix yanked, Bearman in.
In reply to johndej :
I am surprised that Robert Shwartzman, didn't get the nod.
That isn't going to help my fantasy team...
On the Horner deal this came up on racer.com I view this as a reputable place, always seems to have vetted news. This is the first thing I have seen saying that there are inaccuracies in the statement by the employee. I am just watching, this is too big of an issue for me to be a juror in the court of public opinion.
https://racer.com/2024/03/07/horner-accuser-suspended-following-investigation/
In reply to NY Nick :
The one thing that really bugs me in the back of my mind is how Horner keeps reminding everyone that he's married with kids. As if nobody in the world knows that he's married to a Spice Girl. And add "think of the children" mantra.
IMHO, if it was *really* nothing, then there's no reason to bring up your wife and kids. And especially no reason to bring your wife to a race- which is totally out of who you have been.
I don't want to be part of the court of public opinion, but it always bugs me in these kind of situations that "family" is brought up. As if that actually stops humans from having affairs.
In reply to johndej :
Makes me pretty impressed he ran through FP2 yesterday. Brutal.
maschinenbau said:This whole thing is all speculation and gossip at this point. Wake me up when there are actual consequences or proof.
I'm just going to keep bumping this until we stop perpetuating rumors. Because that's all this is until it isn't.
Logan Sargeant ups his standing in the destructors championship (but just a little) by clipping the wall with his front left in FP3. It led to a really nice view of the amazing machine work under the carbon fiber covers of these cars. The steering rack looked like a piece of jewelry.
NY Nick said:Logan Sargeant ups his standing in the destructors championship (but just a little) by clipping the wall with his front left in FP3. It led to a really nice view of the amazing machine work under the carbon fiber covers of these cars. The steering rack looked like a piece of jewelry.
I wonder if he'll make it through the year. Does Williams have someone else waiting in the wings?
Sainz has appendicitis so Bearman is called up from F2!
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
I can't believe he made it too the year, I would be shocked if he makes it to the end.
Really dislike this track. It's totally flat, and always between concrete barriers. Hard to see any real character here.
And Max is good at pointing out this championship is over before it really started.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Nope- that will not help. Makes it worse. What a clown show this track apparently is.
Imagine the kind of fencing they will have to use to make sure a car can't fall out.
That was a good quali session. I was routing for Bearman to make it to Q3, even though it would have bumped Lewis.
In reply to alfadriver :
I didn't say it was better. But it's not flat!
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