The Ford Motor Company isn’t getting the kind of press it hoped for from its imminent tie up with six-time Formula 1 champions Red Bull after the team announced an inquiry into conduct of its boss, Christian Horner. Now, the Blue Oval has written to the team asking for a resolution to the inquiry as it is getting “increasingly frustrated” by Red Bull’s silence on the issue.
Red Bull Racing parent company Red Bull (the one that makes the energy drinks) announced an inquiry had been launched into Horner’s conduct earlier this year. The investigation stems from claims made by a female coworker that allege the Red Bull Racing CEO exhibited inappropriate behavior and even accused him of harassment.
The inquiry was made public on February 5 but since then, the news out of Red Bull Racing has been slim. In fact, since the investigation started, nothing has been said by Red Bull Racing or its parent company and Horner has even been working as if nothing happened. The 50-year-old was on the ground at the team’s car launch on February 15 and was trackside in Bahrain for F1 testing last week.
This silence has not gone unnoticed by Mustang maker Ford, which announced a new partnership with the Red Bull team at the start of last year. From 2026, the two outfits will share technical know-how on the development of new F1 powertrains.
According to a report from the Associated Press, Ford boss Jim Farley has now written to the team to outline his disappointment in its handling of the scandal. As the site explains:
“As we have indicated previously, without satisfactory response, Ford’s values are non-negotiable,” Farley wrote in the letter. “It is imperative that our racing partners share and demonstrate a genuine commitment to those same values. My team and I are available at any time to discuss this matter. We remain insistent on, and hopeful, for a resolution we can all stand behind.”
Ford so far is the only one of Red Bull’s corporate partners to speak publicly on the Horner investigation. The company reportedly sent an initial letter to Red Bull — seemingly what Farley referenced in Friday’s communication — but the AP has not seen the first letter.
The Ford boss isn’t the first person to comment on the radio silence that’s coming from Red Bull Racing. Farley’s comments come after bosses at McLaren and Mercedes called for clarity on everything that’s going on at their rival team. Their concerns were further echoed by F1’s governing body the FIA, which issued a statement pressuring Red Bull Racing for a swift resolution of the matter.
With the trust Ford has placed in Red Bull Racing for its future appearance on the F1 grid, Farley’s concerns must be somewhat alarming for the team’s shareholders. Especially after Farley claimed that Ford was getting “increasingly frustrated” with the lack of communication it has received from the Milton Keynes-based team.
Farley added that his company was also “frustrated by the lack of full transparency” and asked for further clarity on when a “fair and just resolution of this matter” may arise.