Will Red Bull face fallout?

Red Bull has made headlines for all sorts of reasons over the past month, with the RB20 surprising rivals thanks to its radical bodywork evolution, and then the car also catching the eye throughout the pre-season test.

Since then, talk has been of another season of potential dominance, and what the gap to the chasing pack might be.

But to borrow Lewis Hamilton’s words from Wednesday afternoon in Bahrain, there was another matter that had been “hanging over the sport” that overshadowed all of the above.

The independent investigation into Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s behavior — launched by Red Bull GmbH, the global energy drinks company that owns the Formula 1 team — was the talk of the paddock.

Whispers and rumors showed a clear lack of concrete information making it out from the investigation, even though somebody internally had been keen to ensure it became public knowledge that it was taking place.

But the focus was only heightened by Horner’s presence at all of the major events that Red Bull Racing was part of during that time that the investigation was taking place, including its car launch in Milton Keynes on February 16, and last week’s pre-season test in Bahrain.

At the launch, Horner spoke about the impact of the investigation, denying the allegations of inappropriate behavior and insisting the entire F1 team was united. Horner was also firm that there was no rift between himself and the wider Red Bull group, either.

By the time cars were running on track last week, Horner was declining to comment on the ongoing investigation other than to state that, “I think everybody would like a conclusion as soon as possible.”

Horner returned to the UK in between the test and the race, but once again his movements became a central focus when he was flying back to Bahrain ahead of the season opener. Soon after he landed came the statement from Red Bull GmbH that he had been cleared.

“Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial,” it added. “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. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”

While there will be no further comment from Red Bull GmbH, there are other aspects that are still going to be focused on.

Firstly, and extremely importantly, it remains to be seen if the complainant wants to lodge an appeal. Until that is known, Horner might not be willing to speak himself at this point.

But comments from those outside of the process, including Toto Wolff, Zak Brown and James Vowles — although it’s fair to point out they were directly asked questions and not all team principals offered the same chance to provide an opinion — are likely to have frustrated him when he had no right of reply.

Once it is fully clear that the outcome has been accepted, then as well as anything Horner might say, the focus will be on the political implications within Red Bull Racing. Certain claimed details of the investigation made their way into specific media outlets in the Netherlands and Germany, with De Telegraaf regularly well-informed on matters surrounding Red Bull due to the obvious interest in Max Verstappen.

The three-time world champion spoke on Wednesday — prior to the result of the investigation being made public — about “trusting the process,” while also saying Horner is “very important” to Red Bull’s success, “otherwise he wouldn’t be in that position for such a long time.”

Now, Horner will continue working for the team as CEO and team principal, having dealt with rumors and speculation that for better or worse are unlikely to instantly disappear.

But there was a grievance raised that was then brought into the public domain after the investigation had started, and it’s hard to see that having zero impact on at least some relationships within the team’s hierarchy.

While the investigation has been concluded, just how big that impact is becomes the next part of the story.