Christian Horner has revealed he “never” felt he had to leave Red Bull amid the “inappropriate behaviour” scandal that hung over himself and the reigning world champions earlier this season.

Red BullThe team manager was accused of inappropriate behavior by an unnamed female employee, but after a lengthy internal review, the 51-year-old was cleared of any wrongdoing. An appeal was lodged by the employee in question, but the ruling was not overturned, meaning Horner could continue in his role.

The saga strained several internal relationships, with Jos Verstappen urging Horner to leave the team, and reports suggesting Adrian Newey’s departure in May was at least partly provoked by deteriorating relations with the team’s principal.

To talk to Daily Mail of the saga, Horner explained: “There was a lot of noise and distraction earlier in the year and then the car didn’t work and everyone kept their heads down and worked hard and we got performance on the car at the end of the year and we’ve worked through it.

“In difficult times and when stones are thrown, it actually gilds a team. I think there was an element of “f*** you” from the team this year.

“Our people said ‘We’re a strong team, no matter what you throw at us, take it.’ I never felt like I might have to walk away. I believed in myself. I believed in the process. I trusted that process which was carefully applied by the company and I just had to trust it.

“When I was on the plane to Bahrain, I didn’t know if I was going to be in the race or not. But I had to believe in the process. I’ve had tremendous support and backing from the shareholders and from within the company.

“It was actually quite emotional before the first race when I spoke to the factory. I do the usual summary of the tests and what the goals are going into the season, and it was absolutely rammed.”

Horns and Red Bull have still endured a challenging season, despite their strong start to the campaign, and Sergio Perezs P16 qualifying result for the Las Vegas Grand Prix has dealt a significant blow to the team’s hopes of finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship.

With Carlos Sainz starting from P4 and Charles Leclerc in P4, Ferrari have the best grid positions of the top three teams, while McLarenpp Lando Norris starting alongside their championship rival Max Verstappen on the third row of the grid.