Red Bull have confirmed that Christian Horner has ‘the full support of the shareholders’ amid rumours he could be about to lose his job.
Reports in Germany surfaced on Sunday saying that Horner was about to get the boot but Red Bull have now moved to dismiss the claims.
Christian Horner still has the full backing of the Red Bull hierarchy
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Red Bull have since suspended the accuser while Horner wants a line drawn under the saga which has clouded the start of the Formula 1 season.
He has overseen a successful start to the campaign for Red Bull, which has seen Max Verstappen win both races and team-mate Sergio Perez come second.
Horner has still faced scrutiny over his position, with Verstappen’s father Jos claiming the team would ‘explode’ if he stayed.
The 50-year-old has always maintained that he has got the support of the hierarchy at Red Bull.
But a report from German website F1 Insider on Sunday said that the Thai majority shareholders of Red Bull now want to ‘separate from Horner’ and he could soon be fired, while Mark Mateschitz and Oliver Mintzlaff also want him gone.
However, Red Bull have moved quickly to dismiss those claims, insisting support for Horner still remains.
A spokesperson said: “As Christian has said, he is grateful for the full support of the shareholders and that remains the case.”
Horner has been team principal at Red Bull since 2005 and has overseen a hugely successful period in recent years.
Dutch star Verstappen is aiming to win a third successive world title but his dad again gave a strong opinion on Horner at the weekend.
Verstappen senior said it was ‘too late’ to draw a line under the saga as Horner wished.
Horner responded by insisting full focus at Red Bull is on succeeding on the track.
He said: “There are rumblings and I’m aware of what’s been said. Max is an important part of this team.
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Christian Horner has overseen a successful start to the season on the track for Red Bull
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“He’s our driver and is doing a good job and as team principal and CEO, I’m responsible for the running and operation of this team.
“Everyone has to do their part. Max is doing their part and everyone else is doing their job.”
He added: “The speculation is obviously rife but the most important thing is the team and focusing on on-track performances.
“We all have a vested interest in achieving performances like we have. It’s been a phenomenal team effort.
The Christian Horner saga has been a cloud over Formula 1 in the first few weeks of the season
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“What you don’t see is it’s all the men and women behind the scenes, all the people in the supply chains, all the people in the support functions and all the people that work ridiculously long hours in one of the biggest team sports, if not the biggest team sport in the world.
“I think it’s important to recognise that there are nine other teams doing what we are doing and it’s not that easy.
“You only do that by having a spirit, determination throughout the entire company and the drivers are driving the end product and they have done a wonderful job. We move on and our focus is on Melbourne.”
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