[Killed by Death]

Originally Posted by swagon

that selfie from the garden checks out with his instagram post, though.

it is implied in the screenshots that it is his assistant he is talking to and red bull's PA, whose name is also in one of the screenshots, has gone private on social media since the leak so

still have my doubts, but:

She did a damn good job of scrubbing herself from the internet!!!

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Again, crazy turn of events.
With those documents leaked (whether they're fake or not) I have a hard time to believe it's just about Horner's controlling behaviour.
Someone powerful want's him gone.

If you can't beat them on track . You beat them off track.


Toto Wolff

[swagon]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

You beat them off track.

and Horner did exactly that, alright

[GuidoK]

I read those whatsapps, but there is just nothing in there that could be considered controlling behaviour or sexual misconduct behaviour. There's imho not even proof of a real relationship, mainly a platonic one from what I understand.
If the messages are real, it's mainly discriminating for CH and especially his wife Geri.

So whoever leaked these documents wants to hurt CH, not expose wrongdoing or something like that. So it's 100% done with malicious intent.
That's pretty bad...
So there's definately more going on than a personal assistant that feels controlled or otherwise badly treated by CH.

[Marcoose]

Originally Posted by Killed by Death

I get that...but, I wouldn't hire in hopes of making an ace if I already have one.

Simplistic example...two tire changers different races. One is constantly 0.2 second faster...I'm hiring the fastest guy. Could the other be trained up and possibly faster? Yes, but the season is short and I don't have time to waste.

Sometimes diversity can't be forced....

It can. Among your vast pool of very quick tyre changers, all you have to do is to hire the one that looks different.

[Killed by Death]

Originally Posted by Marcoose

It can. Among your vast pool of very quick tyre changers, all you have to do is to hire the one that looks different.

Sure, if you think he is the best.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

I read those whatsapps, but there is just nothing in there that could be considered controlling behaviour or sexual misconduct behaviour. There's imho not even proof of a real relationship, mainly a platonic one from what I understand.
If the messages are real, it's mainly discriminating for CH and especially his wife Geri.

So whoever leaked these documents wants to hurt CH, not expose wrongdoing or something like that. So it's 100% done with malicious intent.
That's pretty bad...
So there's definately more going on than a personal assistant that feels controlled or otherwise badly treated by CH.

The scattered mail in the paddock had a name : "The Anonymous Reporter"

[Artemis]

Savage 'gloves are off' article in a British tabloid about the Horner matter:

"Christian Horner couldn't do what Geri told him to. He struts around like the cock of the walk. Now this grubby text scandal has left a stain on F1"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...N-HERBERT.html

Two excerpts:

"And then, on Wednesday, an anodyne little press statement from the Red Bull parent company, declaring there was nothing to see here and that Horner had, indeed, been cleared of claims of coercive behaviour towards a female employee.
That statement stretched to just 89 words. It was a parody of transparency, laughing in the face of such grave allegations. 'Fair… rigorous… impartial… grievance dismissed... highest workplace standards,' blah, blah, blah.
No sense that there was anything to learn. No expression of regret that a complainant might feel aggrieved. Not the remotest sense of remorse that the reputation of F1 had been dragged through the mud. That press release was a disgrace. A weaselly, deeply inadequate response to a complaint from a woman viewed with respect within Red Bull and the sport. It was nothing less than an insult to her.
But that's the way of the world now, throughout the ranks of our gilded, fabulously wealthy sports. Lawyer it. Press release it. Tick the box. Job done."

"That air of easy self-confidence turned out to be hubris last night after the data drop which seemed a whole lot like the consequences of these complaints being passed off in a way which implied they were rank rubbish.
A Google Drive file, containing 79 documents, including hundreds of messages, many of a sexual nature, dropped like kryptonite on the sport.
Only those within F1 who were hiding under a rock had not seen it by early evening. It was emailed to nearly 200 people in the F1 paddock, including the F1 Group, the FIA, the other nine team principals and multiple media outlets. It painted a grubby and deeply humiliating picture of the individual who sent the WhatsApp messages.
It remains unclear whether those messages had formed part of the Red Bull investigation. They probably did. Yet it does not seem to be stretching the bounds of credibility to suggest a rigorous inquiry, which had extended to eight hours of questioning of Horner himself, should have been asking for every possible device from which messages might have been sent. The credibility of that inquiry is surely shredded."

Was also pointed out:

"And a change of his WhatsApp avatar, which is no longer the image that appears on the alleged exchanges with the woman in question."

[G30M]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

I read those whatsapps, but there is just nothing in there that could be considered controlling behaviour or sexual misconduct behaviour. There's imho not even proof of a real relationship, mainly a platonic one from what I understand.
If the messages are real, it's mainly discriminating for CH and especially his wife Geri.

So whoever leaked these documents wants to hurt CH, not expose wrongdoing or something like that. So it's 100% done with malicious intent.
That's pretty bad...
So there's definately more going on than a personal assistant that feels controlled or otherwise badly treated by CH.

wait - those messages are real and not made up?

[M3WC]

Originally Posted by Killed by Death

She did a damn good job of scrubbing herself from the internet!!!

Look up a video on RB Racing YT channel called Race to Miami. She is the blonde.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by M3WC

Look up a video on RB Racing YT channel called Race to Miami. She is the blonde.

they look like a good match

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by g21

wait - those messages are real and not made up?

there's that word 'if'

Also, because the spreading of the messages is done 100% out of malicious intent, both the truth of the messages are in question and the messages themselves are of less importance.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

there's that word 'if'

Also, because the spreading of the messages is done 100% out of malicious intent, both the truth of the messages are in question and the messages themselves are of less importance.

i still can't blame her, without knowing the full picture

for all you know, she's just a pawn being used by someone to get rid of Horner. as a pawn, sometimes you have no choice but to obey.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

Formula One is the ultimate meritocracy and NOT a social construct test laboratory. .

had to think about this and i have to disagree

some people get there thru talent

but the rest of the grid get there because of money - either their parents have deep pockets or they have sponsors with deep pockets (team don't pay these guys, these guys pay the team!)

let's do a case study: in the 2022 F2 (actual dedicated F1 feeder series) season the best drivers are not in F1
F2 2022:
WinnerFelipe Drugovich
2 Théo Pourchaire
3 Liam Lawson
4 Logan Sargeant

Where are 1, 2, 3 now?
In fact 3 beat both drivers in his team last year and still no drive

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

If you can't beat them on track . You beat them off track.


Toto Wolff

How come it's just two managers, Wolff and Brown asking for 'transparency' after CH was cleared of whatever it was.
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...in-grand-prix/

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by g21

i still can't blame her, without knowing the full picture

You think his assistant leaked the messages/pictures?
It could also be someone close to the investigation that had access to them.
These messages (if they are real) were obviously used in the investigation.

for all you know, she's just a pawn being used by someone to get rid of Horner. as a pawn, sometimes you have no choice but to obey.

If she leaked the messages, of course she had a choice. You think they physically forced her?
If the assistant leaked the messages, there could've been only 2 motivations: money or revenge.
If it's money, then there's someone higher up (or in another team) behind it that wants to get rid of CH.
If it's revenge....then she just distroyed her career, not harming CH's position at RB and missed out on a lot of money.. The only thing she might have done is destroy CH'r relationship with GH, but nothing in the texts gave me the impression she was jealous of that.

[Davil]

This is awful.

I’m not a Red Bull fan.

However. The guy is very good at his job. Very good.

Yes. He’s has had a fling with his assistant. She has backed off because she wants more. He is not prepared to do this. Most likely as he has a family and that is the most important thing to him.

This is none of our business.

Whoever leaked this stuff is pure evil. I’m sure it is not either of the parties concerned.

Just horrible.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

How come it's just two managers, Wolff and Brown asking for 'transparency' after CH was cleared of whatever it was.
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...in-grand-prix/

1- A plan
2- The provocation
3- The execution

Then you throw it in the media with the name : "The Anonymous Reporter"

Useless to say , this must be someone "Really Bad "

Correction : 'Several BAD people !

[Artemis]

FIA and FOM are considering to step in:

"FIA and F1 chiefs due to discuss Horner situation
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali are set to meet at the Bahrain Grand Prix to discuss potential next steps over the Christian Horner controversy."
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...tion/10581683/

[MontyB1]

I think he should be more worried about his marriage than anything else but that is for discussions behind closed doors that we shouldn't be party too.

What he has said in those messages does overstep the line a few times of what you would class as acceptable in the workplace. I'm sure many working for firms would be sacked if there was discussions like this going on but each company is different.

For F1 the talk isn't about the cars though its about him and that isn't going to go down very well on the first race of the season and as we have seen with McLaren and Mercedes that questioning will only go up.

How is this going to end for CH, Mmmmmm it's not behind him yet that is for certain.

[Artemis]

Please refrain from vilifying the RBR employee. She doesn't deserve derogatory and condescending comments. Imagine for a moment that you'd personally know her as a friend or a relative: hunted down, scoffed, humiliated, etc. by social media worldwide who do not know what has exactly happened.

If other forums publish the employee's name, so be it, but not here not under my watch, as a matter of respect.

This whole episode of a private matter going public, is downright sad. The employee and Horner know what has exactly happened. We don't, except for the fact that she filed an internal complaint that got dismissed internally (not by a court of law nor by a panel of arbitrators - cf. full impartiality, not involving questions such as "What decision regarding this complaint suits best our company interests ?" as part of the equation for any decision-making).

[iamwingman]

Horner not on the wall this morning.