After the Chinese Grand Prix, the Christian Horner issue is expected to “enter its next stage,” with the female employee at the center of the drama expected to testify, having exercised her right to appeal the investigation’s conclusions about the Red Bull CEO.

The Daily Mail reports that the appeal case will be heard by a King’s Counsel, despite the fact that Horner’s group still maintains that the worker was fired because of her “dishonesty.”

The report also notes that, with the steadfast backing he has from Thai majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya, it is still improbable that the team principal will lose his position. 

Nonetheless, it is reasonable that there is a power struggle with the company’s Austrian subsidiary.

The team appeared to be in disarray after two races, with star driver Max Verstappen even threatening to leave when close buddy Helmut Marko was placed under investigation in Saudi Arabia. 

The doubts regarding Horner’s future were causing division inside the squad. But hostilities have subsided in the public eye ahead of the upcoming races.

Nevertheless, the story nevertheless serves as a diversion for the defending champions. When discussing the atmosphere at the Red Bull camp with Kleine Zeitung, Marko said: “Basically, it’s about bringing calm to the team. And that is urgently needed.

“As we saw in Australia, Ferrari is on hand if we don’t deliver. Other factors also played a role, but the goal has to be the fourth World Championship title in a row. Everything else has to be subordinated to that.”

The Austrian advisor was then asked about the rumoured ‘power struggle’ within the team. He responded: “That’s politics, which I’m not involved in at the moment. It’s all about winning the next World Championship title.”

Right now, though, the priority is continuing to mount a strong title defense. 

Prior to the Chinese Grand Prix, the Milton Keynes-based team has finished one-two in three of the first four races of the season; however, Verstappen’s DNF in Melbourne has reduced his championship lead to just 13 points.

With just one free practice session before Parc Ferme, the Dutchman is aiming for a remarkable fifth consecutive pole position to begin the season in Shanghai on Saturday. However, this might put him in danger of getting disqualified.