While Netflix is out conducting business with each new heart-pumping season of Drive to Survive, Formula One learns to thrive under the glaring spotlight of their all-seeing, all-hearing camera crew. However, the same cannot be said about the subjects in question, including the race drivers and team principals.
After its debut season, the Netflix series established itself within the F1 community for its highly dramatic representation of the scandals and behind-the-scenes politics that govern the sport. Among those very scandals is a damning one that defines the Red Bull principal, Christian Horner’s reputation.
The Christian Horner scandal that grabbed headlines
If there is one thread linking the media, sports, and film industries, it is the litany of abuse allegations threatening to topple multiple million-dollar conglomerates like dominoes. In media, it was the Fox News scandal of 2016 against Republican kingmaker Roger Ailes. In Hollywood, the Harvey Weinstein lawsuits set the #MeToo movement in motion in 2017.
When it comes to sports, numerous suits have colored the reputation of men in positions of power. Red Bull’s Christian Horner happens to be one of them. The team principal was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female employee who placed a complaint about his ‘strict and controlling work regime’.
An investigation was conducted on 9th February 2024 followed by an 8-hour hearing by an independent lawyer during which Horner was questioned about the incident. On 28th February, the matter was resolved and Red Bull issued a public notice saying: ‘The investigation is complete and the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal.’ (via Metro UK)
The following day, WhatsApp messages and pictures exchanged between Horner and the accuser were leaked to the media. On March 1, the RB principal was seen having a heated argument with Jos Verstappen on the paddock. The latter’s son and Red Bull’s star player Max Verstappen went on to win the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix for the team on 2nd March, making a strong statement on behalf of Red Bull and its internal hierarchy.
Over the course of the first week of March, Red Bull was thrown into a frenzy when the argument between Horner and Verstappen Sr. escalated, especially as the latter warned that Red Bull was ‘in danger of being torn apart’ unless Horner resigned. On 7 March, the matter was wholly put to rest after the female employee was suspended from RB with full pay.
Drive to Survive should put the spotlight on Horner
Drive to Survive executive producer James Gay-Rees has been pivotal in making the series into an acclaimed fan-favorite and Formula One into a global phenomenon. By foregoing the sport’s technicalities and shining the spotlight on the explosive on-track action and drivers’ tiffs, the series quickly became an addictive watch while F1 grew in popularity.
As such, the new season provides a perfect platform for the Netflix showrunners to make it more compelling by delivering a full breakdown of the Christian Horner allegations that almost fractured Red Bull in two. The story arc will be a lucrative angle due to Red Bull’s winning streak and Max Verstappen’s recent 4th World Championship title that places the team and its principal on a current high.
As for Gay-Rees, the producer already seems keen on the idea, revealing in an interview with The Telegraph:
It will have to be referenced in some capacity. And they will all want it to be told in a particular way, so it’s about treading that line to keep everybody happy, and to keep Netflix happy, and us – so we can sleep at night with the decisions we’ve made. You have to have balance. I think Horner is looking OK for the time being, but it doesn’t feel like it’s done yet. It will all depend on how it plays out. I don’t know what he got up to, and I genuinely don’t have an opinion on it, but he’s been through it and you wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
However, Horner has vehemently denied the allegations time and again, saying:
Obviously, it’s not been pleasant. The unwanted attention. I’m not going to comment on what motives whatever person may have for doing this. My focus is on this team, my family, my wife, on going racing and winning races and doing the best I can. You can see what it meant to the whole team, better to do your talking on-track. The focus is now very much on the cars.
Drive to Survive will return for another season exactly a year after the scandal on March 7, 2025, and will document the 2024 Grand Prix season. This puts Netflix in a unique position to dive into the scandal that rocked the F1 community this past year as the winning duo – Verstappen and Horner – is set to reprise their roles and put up a strong fight against McLaren and Ferrari.
Drive to Survive Season 7 premieres on Netflix on 7 March 2025.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
