Have Red Bull’s Thai bosses sent a SPY to sort out the Christian Horner power struggle? Staff in Salzburg ‘fear family spy is checking out every department at embattled energy drink and F1 firm’
- Chalerm Yoovidhya reportedly sent a family member to spy on Red Bull’s headquarters
- He and his family are intensifying their involvement in the way the team is managed
- There are fears that changes could come with Horner under enormous pressure
Red Bull’s majority shareholder has reportedly sent a family member – dubbed the ‘Thai spy’ – to keep an eye on the Christian Horner scandal and the wider company.
The ‘spy’ took a detailed look at each department after flying to the company’s headquarters in Salzburgfrom BIL.
It is feared that the Thai owners are about to make major changes as the ruling family has been generally hands-off until now.
Horner and the immediate F1 team operate from a base in Milton Keynes.
He has been embroiled in a scandal following allegations of “inappropriate behavior” by a female employee ahead of the 2024 season, although an internal investigation cleared him.
Red Bull’s majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya (right) reportedly sent a ‘spy’ to Red Bull’s headquarters in Austria
Yoovidhya’s relative’s ‘spy’ takes a detailed look at every department, fearing drastic changes
Hundreds of messages from Horner – some of them sexual – were sent to the media and F1 majors, but Red Bull confirmed he would not be fired and his accuser has been suspended.
Chalerm Yoovidhya owns 51 percent of Red Bull and has a staggering personal fortune of around £26.3 billion, as reported by Forbes last year.
His family is considered the second richest in Thailand.
According to BILD, they are willing to exert more dominance over the way Red Bull’s F1 operation is run.
Company founder Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian billionaire who died in 2022, previously had enormous influence on the team.
On his death, Horner said: “He was an incredible man and he loved Formula 1. We owe him a lot as a team.”
With Mateschitz gone, the Yoovidhya are reportedly interested in increasing their involvement, hence the flying visit.
In the past, they only visited races occasionally.
The Horner scandal has been a PR disaster for F1 and many leading figures have spoken of the need to resolve the situation quickly.
Horner is under enormous pressure over the ‘sex text’ scandal after a female employee accused him of ‘inappropriate behaviour’
Horner was cleared of wrongdoing following a Red Bull investigation and his accuser was suspended, but she has since appealed
The woman at the center of the Red Bull texting scandal last week appealed the company’s findings that acquitted Horner.
An internal investigation involving a QC cleared him of misconduct last month and he remained in charge of the first two races of the season.
Horner, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, will also be present for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.
But he is being put under further pressure by news of the appeal, which has been lodged with parent company Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, rather than the Milton Keynes-based racing team.
The woman, who has been suspended with pay, recently changed lawyers – a precursor to her latest legal action.