'Red Bull wants to get rid of Horner: 'He lives on another planet''

The soap opera surrounding Christian Horner continues. Red Bull Austria would very much like to get rid of Horner, but the Thai branch want to keep him. F1-insider.com has revealed more information about what is going on behind the scenes.

For several weeks now, he has been the topic of conversation: Christian Horner. There is an investigation into the Red Bull Racing team boss for alleged inappropriate behaviour. That investigation was delivered to Red Bull, but since then, nothing has come out, and the Briton is still working for the team that will start the F1 season in Bahrain this weekend.

F1-insider.com, the medium that first came out with the investigation, now knows why nothing has come out. Dietrich Mateschitz, as owner of 49 per cent of the shares, had been given authority to make personnel decisions himself. However, that authority for Mateschitz, and thus Red Bull Austria, fell away when Mateschitz passed away.

Why Red Bull Austria cannot sack Horner

Oliver Mintzlaff, Mateschitz's successor, would like to get rid of Horner but, at 49%, cannot make a decision without the Thai owner's approval. Chalerm Yoovidhya, however, does not want to budge. He reportedly sees Horner as his son and wants to keep him in the saddle despite everything.

As a result, frustration is mounting in Austria. There, they have to sit idly by as Horner stays put while they would prefer him gone. According to the German medium, Red Bull Austria says Horner thinks he is living on a planet of his own. "He no longer has both feet on this earth."

Ralf Schumacher explains that the Thai owner might also take a different view of the whole investigation. "Unfortunately, the reality is that Western values about equality are not the values in Thailand. There, a woman's role is seen very differently."