How Red Bull Racing’s crisis comms response hit the skids

Well, before we get into that – and there is plenty to unpick – let’s quickly recap what happened.

The scandal started in early February when Red Bull Racing’s parent company confirmed the 50-year-old was being investigated over allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” with a female colleague.

He was not suspended and continued to attend the team’s car launch and test events.

Eventually, on February 28, it was announced Mr Horner, married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, had been cleared.

But the story took another twist the following day when a series of alleged messages between Mr Horner and the female colleague were leaked to the media. These were also shared with the sport’s bosses and widely on social media.

And then it emerged, late last week, that the female colleague who complained of “inappropriate behaviour” by Mr Horner had been suspended by the company.

On Friday, more than a month since the story first broke, it was featured, at least partly, on five front pages of UK newspapers.

So, what can we learn from this crisis?

Transparency

Transparency in crisis communication is vital.

You need to be seen to be open, honest and accountable.

But Red Bull’s crisis response has been one of corporate opaqueness.

Even when it cleared Mr Horner, there were no details of the allegations or the investigation.

And the barrister who carried out that investigation has not been named.

In a statement, the Red Bull Racing team said: "The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned.”

There was a similar lack of information when news broke that the female colleague had been suspended. 

A Red Bull spokesperson stated: “The company cannot comment on this internal matter”.

The problem with this is the story has long since stopped being an internal matter – it has been all over the media for a month.

A wall of silence will not prevent questions from being asked about why a colleague has been suspended.

Nor will it stop speculation and the drip-feed of gossip. There are many media reports suggesting she was suspended for being “dishonest”.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Red Bull’s engine partner Honda, has called for more clarity as it gets pulled into the crisis.

A spokesperson for Honda said: "We do not have full details on the matter at this point, therefore Honda are not in a position to make any detailed comment. We look forward to full clarity as soon as possible."

Optics

There is no doubt this is a complicated story.

But let’s consider the optics.

Mr Horner was not suspended when the allegations were made and carried on working – “business as usual” to use his own words.

You might question how many other senior leaders would have been afforded that luxury given the nature of the allegations.

He remained a visible presence, speaking to the media at the team’s launch event.

If nothing else, stepping away from the limelight, at least temporarily, would have been better from a reputation point of view.

The woman who made the allegations, however, has been suspended – a troubling contrast. And with clumsy timing, the news of that suspension came the day before International Women’s Day.

How does that look? Does it help create the impression of a team and sport where women are valued and supported? Does it seem like a sport and an organisation with diversity and inclusion at its heart?

Is it a place where women can speak up about the behaviour they encounter?

A taste of what women working in the sport make of it came from Amanda Phillips, a commercial operations co-ordinator at Formula One team Alpine.

She posted on X: “I had better not see a single tweet from Red Bull tomorrow saying they support women in motorsport for International Women's Day. What an utterly abhorrent move from them, suspend the woman but let Horner waltz around the Paddock like he owns it.”

Blame game

The questions about optics extend further.

Ahead of this weekend’s grand prix in Saudi Arabia, Mr Horner accused rival Formula One bosses and the media of exploiting the situation.

He said: “The only reason this has gained so much attention is because of the leakage and the attention that there has been drawn in the media.

“Which has been very trying in many respects, particularly for my family because it has all been focussed very much in one direction.

“What has happened then after that is that others have looked to take advantage of it. F1 is a competitive business, and elements have looked to benefit from it, and that is perhaps the not-so-pretty side of our industry.”

The blame game rarely works well when an organisation is in crisis media management mode.

Pointing fingers at others creates an impression of defensiveness, a lack of accountability and misunderstanding the seriousness of the situation. And the public rarely has much sympathy for leaders and organisations who play the victim card.

A sense of contrition would be a much better approach.

Blaming the media for covering it extensively also seems naïve. With ingredients including celebrity, sex, and the glamour of Formula One, there was always going to be huge interest.

And the lack of transparency adds fuel to the intrigue.

Criticising rivals who rightly fear the scandal impacts the reputation of the sport - and the drive to improve its diversity - seems petulant. 

The team boss also said, “it is time to draw a line under” the controversy.

When you are at the centre of a crisis that still has many moving parts and unanswered questions, you don’t get to decide when it is over. 

Cool heads

We are often asked who makes a good crisis spokesperson.

You need someone who can maintain a cool head and remain composed no matter how uncomfortable and awkward the questions feel.

The Red Bull boss struggled to remain composed in a press conference ahead of the latest race.

The Telegraph carried an article saying, “The 12 questions that finally made Christian Horner snap”. The Daily Express called it a “tense” press conference. Planet F1 said it was “fiery”.

When the questions are about you and your conduct, it is harder to remain composed.

But how you are perceived can be as important as the words you say. 

Workplace crisis

With all the glamour, celebrity and sex surrounding this story, you can lose sight of the fact this is essentially a workplace crisis.

It centres on the power imbalance between a man at the top of the organisation and the women who work for him.

And workplace culture – and the behaviour of bosses - is increasingly becoming a reputational hazard for organisations.

The Financial Times reported last year that half of forced CEO departures among the 3,000 largest US companies last year were due to personal conduct.

Huge numbers. And an increase of 14 per cent from 2017.

BP and CBI were some of the big-name organisations in the UK that recently found themselves in crisis mode because of the behaviour of bosses.

We are increasingly developing crisis communication training scenarios for our clients that centre on allegations about the conduct of senior leaders.

In these situations, it is crucial organisations show they are taking the allegations seriously, fairly and transparently. And that it feels like a workplace where workers feel safe and empowered to speak and raise concerns.

Does that feel like Red Bull Racing to you?

It is hard to see how this crisis ends. But the longer it goes on, the more damaging it is likely to be.

And there is currently no chequered flag in sight.

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