'It's absurd': F1 legend rips Horner investigation

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has launched a scathing attack on Red Bull and embattled team principal Christian Horner.

Horner is at the centre of a lengthy investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour, believed to include lengthy WhatsApp correspondence with a female employee of a sexual nature.

Jordan, who owned and ran his eponymous team between 1991-2005, famously gave Michael Schumacher his start in the sport in 1994.

He said the situation Red Bull found itself in on the eve of the opening race of the season was “absurd”, and suggested Horner should be stood down.

“I have seen many wrong decisions, but the Red Bull situation is the most absurd I have ever seen,” he said.

“Of course, Horner has the presumption of innocence, but does anyone seriously believe that the employee made the accusations out of thin air?

“If Horner is innocent, is she guilty? The damage to Red Bull’s image is already enormous. Someone has to pull the string now.”

The investigation has dominated much of the media coverage, and has largely overshadowed the pre-season test and lead up to this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Horner has staunchly denied the accusations, which were initially reported to be against his management style, before further information revealed they were of a sexual nature.

Eddie Jordan with Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner during the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Dutch publication De Telegraaf has reported seeing screenshots of messages between Horner and the employee that were sent over a considerable amount of time.

The publication alleged Horner even made a $1.25m hush money offer.

The investigation has even led to threats by Ford – who are set to power the team’s cars from 2026 – they would back out of the deal if they’re unhappy with the outcome.

To the surprise of many, the 50-year-old was in attendance at Red Bull’s launch of their new car, and was also in Bahrain for last week’s test.

The cars hit the track for the opening practice session for the year late Thursday night (AEDT), before the first race of the year early Sunday morning (AEDT).