Christian Horner was ‘ignored’ by Ford CEO Jim Farley throughout Red Bull’s investigation into their team boss, it has been claimed.
Horner and Farley are reported to have met up at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, following a reported period of frostiness.
Red Bull team principal Horner has been under immense pressure within his role since the beginning of 2024 when accusations of alleged inappropriate behavior towards a female colleague emerged.
Many of Horner’s F1 rivals called for the sport to externally investigate the allegations, while an internal feud with the likes of Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen ensued.
Horner was later cleared of any wrongdoing following an internal investigation, while the result of an appeal from the original complainant produced the same verdict, clearing the Brit who had denied the allegations throughout the saga.
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Red Bull are keen to move on, with on-track performances seemingly falling victim to the off-track turmoil, while somewhat of a mass exodus of staff had occurred in recent months.
Design genius Adrian Newey announced he would be leaving the team, while Jonathan Wheatley has decided to jump ship and instead become Audi team principal in 2026.
Now, it appears another key figure has been giving Horner the cold shoulder, with De Limburger suggesting that Horner’s meeting with Ford CEO Jim Farley at the Italian GP was the first time they had spoke to one another in months.
Ford are set to help Red Bull produce their own power units from 2026, after the world champions decided to ditch current provider Honda. The Red Bull-Ford powertrain division will be key to the future competitiveness of the Milton Keynes outfit.
De Limburger also suggested that sources at Monza had revealed that Farley had ‘completely ignored’ all contact with Horner since the start of 2024.
In a statement regarding the pair’s meeting in Monza, Red Bull said: “The meeting lasted about an hour and went very well. They talked about the plans for next year and for 2026.”
