Purple Bull has commissioned an investigation into Christian Horner, the staff principal of its extremely profitable System 1 racing staff.
In a press release on Monday, Purple Bull characterised the investigation into Horner, who can be CEO of Oracle Purple Bull Racing, as impartial. It doesn’t element the rationale for the investigation.
“After studying of a number of the current allegations, the corporate launched an impartial investigation. This course of, which is already underway, is being carried out by an exterior specialist lawyer,” Purple Bull mentioned in a press release. “The corporate takes these issues extraordinarily critically and the investigation will likely be accomplished as quickly as practicable. It will not be applicable to remark additional at the moment.”
The assertion got here after the allegations have been revealed within the Dutch publication De Telegraaf.
Based on worldwide media experiences, Horner has denied any wrongdoing.
Horner didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark despatched by way of social media and the Hollywood company that represents him as a paid speaker. System 1 additionally didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Purple Bull is the reigning constructors' champion on the planet's premier motor racing sequence.
Within the 2023 season, Purple Bull driver Max Verstappen overtook the competitors for a 3rd consecutive Drivers' Championship and the staff gained the Constructors' title for the second consecutive 12 months.
Horner, 50, has led Purple Bull since 2005 and has constructed a fame for sharp elbows however has loved extraordinary success, together with 4 drivers' championships with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 to 2013 earlier than Verstappen's three-peat from 2021 to 2023. He has gained six constructors' championship on Horner's watch.
In 2015, he married pop star Geri Halliwell of the Spice Women. He was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire final 12 months.
London-based System 1 has seen rising success within the US, a promote it has struggled to interrupt into for years. The primary race of the 2024 season is scheduled for March 2 in Bahrain.
The league staged three races within the US in 2023, added an American driver and has grown in home viewership in recent times. This 12 months, it’s deliberate to host three American races once more — in Miami, Austin, Texas and Las Vegas.
Final 12 months, ESPN, which televises the races, mentioned the house TV viewers for every race in 2021 would common practically 1 million viewers and develop 28% in 2023.
Since 2019, the Netflix present 'System 1: Drive to Survive' has additionally taken off globally and Horner has featured prominently within the documentary sequence, pitting him towards different staff bosses all through every season.
