"This seemed like whitewashing; Innocent until proven guilty": Fans divided on Drive to Survive's coverage of the Red Bull boss' scandal

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner finds himself at the receiving end once again. Fans were divided over how the Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' covered his case concerning inappropriate conduct.

Horner has been in trouble since last season after an internal female Red Bull employee filed a case against him, alleging the team principal sent inappropriate text messages and media files.

The issue was heard by the team's internal committee, and before the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, the British boss was acquitted. Even the complainant's appeal was dismissed as the energy drink-based team reportedly didn't have enough evidence to implicate the team principal.

Meanwhile, Netflix covered the whole fiasco in episode one of Drive to Survive's seventh season. The episode revolved around how the case first got out and also mentioned the leaked email, which reportedly had evidence related to the case.

A fan account recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to bring the discussion online.

"The way they've dealt with the Horner allegations as if it was just another "challenge" in his career is so disgusting. At least they added the disclaimer that the case was appealed, but even then... it was clear Netflix was trying to help Horner clear his image," read the Tweet.

However, many fans weren't impressed with the kind of coverage Christian Horner's case had in the Netflix series. Some believe that the series tried to give the team principal a clean chit.

"Exactly! This seemed like whitewashing and making him out to be the victim," said an internet user.

"Just his PR machine at this point," another fan opined.

However, a few fans also supported Horner, saying he is innocent until proven guilty.

"Innocent until proven guilty," a fan opined.

"Because the allegations were lies," another fan suggested.

"They stated the facts, that’s all they can do. You may feel strongly about it one way or another but they cannot give an anonymous email any credit when there is no on the record source," a user also argued.

Horner, meanwhile, claimed his innocence throughout the case and avoided giving many details to the press media.

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Red Bull's Christian Horner alleges conspiracy behind his inappropriate misconduct case

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner (Image Source: Getty)

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner didn't hold back while addressing the inappropriate misconduct allegations against him. In Netflix's latest season of the 'Drive to Survive' series, the team boss alleged premeditated conspiracy.

In episode one, titled 'Business as Usual', Horner said:

“It was obviously premeditated to cause me the maximum amount of distraction, the maximum amount of aggravation.... It was obvious that the end goal for me to, um, leave Red Bull." [26:00 onwards]

Horner also maintained his silence on the alleged source of the email leak that reportedly contained the evidence of his case.

Meanwhile, Christian Horner's troubles only seem to be on the rise as the complainant has reportedly filed another case in the employment tribunal case. According to media reports, the female Red Bull employee has challenged the verdict of the team's internal committee that acquitted Horner twice.