The £26 billion Red Bull magnate who could save Horner… and has a scandal of his own
HE is the Formula 1 magnate who could single-handedly save Christian Horner’s career.
Red Bull owner Chalerm Yoovidhya has the largest stake in the company and is said to be the main supporter of the controversial team boss.
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F1 boss Horner, who is married to ex Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, was rocked last week after bombshell ‘sext’ messages involving an alleged female colleague were leaked online.
Just 24 hours earlier, an internal investigation had cleared him of wrongdoing against the woman – accusations he had always denied.
Now an astonishing civil war has broken out at Red Bull after Jos Verstappen – the father of superstar driver Max – warned the team would ‘explode’ if the 50-year-old stays.
Although some prominent figures within the company have reportedly turned against Horner, Chalerm – who is worth £26 billion – remains his most important public ally.
Read more about Christian Horner
At the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend, the two were photographed with their wives Geri and Daranee as they celebrated three-time world champion Max winning the first race of the new season.
Thai billionaire Chalerm is the eldest son of Chaleo Yoovidhya, who co-created the energy drink brand with Dietrich Mateschitz.
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Austrian businessman Dietrich led the development of Red Bull’s sports division, hand-picking Horner to launch their F1 team and proving to be its greatest champion until his death in 2022.
Since then, Horner has maintained close ties with Chalerm, while Dietrich’s own heir, Mark, has reportedly grown colder towards the scandal-hit team leader. Email online.
Off the circuit, the Yoovidhya empire spreads across multi-million pound properties, vineyards and businesses from London to Bangkok.
But the playboy lifestyle of one of Chalerm’s eleven children has brought the family into a scandal of its own – and one far darker than Horner’s.
Horror smash
In 2012, Charlem’s son Vorayuth was allegedly involved in an accident in Bangkok in which a police officer was killed.
Since then he has been effectively on the run, while the time for prosecution continues to grow.
Vorayuth – known as ‘Boss’ – has been pictured traveling the world in private jets, enjoying lavish holidays in Japan, Monaco, Venice and Laos in Asia and celebrating a birthday at Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurant.
He is believed to own a house in London where he has a black Porsche Carrera with the personal license plate BO55 RBR – short for ‘Boss Red Bull Racing’.
Last month it was revealed that a former top police officer in Bangkok is accused of helping Vorayuth escape justice, along with other senior figures.
The saga began twelve years ago when 42-year-old police officer Wichean Glanprasert was hit with his Ferrari on a main road in Bangkok. The officer’s mutilated body was dragged through the block along with his tangled bicycle.
Police followed a trail of brake fluid to the Yoovidhya family’s nearby gated property, where they found Vorayuth’s car with its bumper cut off.
A driver was initially blamed for the accident, but Vorayuth, who attended the exclusive private school Bradfield College in Berkshire, later turned himself in and admitted he was behind the wheel.
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His lawyer claimed that the alcohol found in his system was drunk to calm his nerves after the crash.
The family paid £12,000 for bail and he went home the same day, where he quickly resumed his jet-setting lifestyle. Three months later, he was spotted at the Red Bull Singha Race of Champions in Bangkok, surrounded by friends and cousins.
It took Thai police another five years to issue a formal arrest warrant in 2017 when Vorayuth fled Thailand and had his passport revoked.
Interpol has issued a ‘red notice’ to arrest him pending extradition, but it appears that this notice is no longer posted on its website.
He has not appeared in court since, with lawyers claiming he was too busy to appear or had important appointments, including one in London.
Chalerm sees Horner as a kind of foster son
Ex F1 driver Ralf Schumacher
Thailand’s statute of limitations – the time during which someone can be prosecuted – began to expire on possible charges of speeding, hit-and-run and causing death by reckless driving.
Then suddenly in 2020, police announced they had dropped all charges.
The move sparked anger and a boycott of Red Bull products in Thailand, where activists complain of a two-tiered legal system: one for the poor and one for the elites.
It emerged that at the time of the accident, the brother of the deceased police officer signed a contract with the Yoovidhyas to receive approximately £75,000 in damages if the family agreed not to pursue criminal or civil proceedings.
However, the deal did not protect them from a case brought by Thai prosecutors and following the outrage following Vorayuth’s acquittal, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a new investigation.
He said the original investigation was “compromised” and new charges were filed against Vorayuth in 2020 for drug use and causing death by reckless driving.
Who is Jos Verstappen?
Jos, a FORMER F1 driver himself, achieved two podium finishes in 106 races, but is best known as the father of three-time world champion Max Verstappen.
Jos can regularly be seen behind the scenes at Red Bull during race weekends and is proud to publicly support his son.
However, he has been the subject of criticism in the past.
Following a 1998 incident at a go-kart track in which another man suffered a fractured skull, he avoided a suspended prison sentence after reaching an out-of-court settlement with the victim.
Ten years later he appeared in court, accused of assaulting his wife Sophie Kumpen.
He was not found guilty of assault, but was found guilty of threatening Kumpen in text messages and of violating a previously issued restraining order.
He was fined and sentenced to three months’ probation, a suspended prison sentence.
And in January 2012, he was arrested following allegations that he drove a car into his ex-girlfriend, but was released two weeks later after charges were dropped.
He has watched his son’s career like a hawk and now, with a wedge drive between himself and Horner, Max Verstappen finds himself in a difficult position.
Since then, police have run out of time to prosecute the drug charge and the driving offense will end in 2027.
Last month, several government officials and police officers were accused of plotting to help Vorayuth flee the country.
Police chief Somyot Poompanmoung and other suspects are accused of abuse of power to help someone avoid prosecution.
Somyot was accused last year by the National Anti-Corruption Commission of tampering with evidence by altering the speedometer of Vorayuth’s Ferrari.
Humble beginnings
The scandal is a far cry from the humble beginnings of Vorayuth’s grandfather, who was once a farmer on his family’s duck farm.
Born to poor Chinese immigrant parents who traded fruit in a city north of Bangkok, Chaleo Yoovidhya got a job as an antibiotic salesman before quitting to set up his own pharmaceutical company in the early 1960s.
He said “divine inspiration” helped him create an energy-boosting drink, which he called Krating Daeng.
Austrian salesman Dietrich discovered that the drink cured his jet lag and in 1984 partnered with Chaleo and launched Red Bull.
While the drink became a ‘go to’ for partygoers, Chaleo was very private and had not given an interview in 30 years when he died in March 2012 at the age of 88.
As the eldest of two sons, Chalerm took over the business empire and in 2005 Red Bull Racing was born.
The family are said to own five multi-million pound properties in London, as well as a luxurious gated home in Bangkok.
Chalerm has 11 children with wife Daranee and one owns a £5.9million mansion in Chicago.
Since 2001, the F1 businessman has also run a winery in Dallas, Texas, called Siam.
Relationship with ‘foster son’
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With Chalerm owning 51 percent of Red Bull – while Austrian Mark Mateschitz retains 49 percent – he could be the deciding factor on whether Horner remains team boss.
While Geri Halliwell stood by her husband this weekend as she packed on the PDA at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Red Bull owner also showed a show of support.
He and his wife Daranee were pictured laughing and joking with the Horners on the terrace, in the clearest sign yet that Christian has the ear of the big boss.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher previously described Horner as a “kind of foster son” for Chalerm.
Before being approved by Red Bull, Horner said: “He is behind him unconditionally.”
Horner has said he is “absolutely confident” he will weather the biggest storm of his life.
Only time will tell if he is right.
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