BAHRAIN — Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Red Bull must be rigorous in its investigation into Christian Horner’s conduct and added Formula One must learn lessons from the controversy whatever the outcome.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has been accused of controlling behaviour and inappropriate text messages by a member of the Red Bull F1 team.
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Horner, who is working as normal at F1 preseason testing in Bahrain this week, has strenuously denied the allegations against him.
Last week, Formula One urged a swift resolution to the saga, which has been ongoing since early February, through Red Bull’s launch and into preseason.
Sources have indicated Red Bull is hoping to have a resolution by the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
Wolff said Red Bull must be thorough in its investigation.
“I think it’s clear,” Wolff said when asked about Horner’s case. “Formula One and what the teams do, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity. And it’s not only talking about it, but living it day in, day out. I think these are the standards that we’re setting ourselves.
“We live in a global sport, one of the most important sports platforms in the world, and we are role models. But having said that, there is a lot of speculation that has been happening over the last weeks, speculation that we’ve heard of, and lots of things that are going on. And I think what’s important at that stage is for a process with rigour.
“I think what Red Bull has started, as an independent investigation, if this is done in the right way with transparency and that rigour, it’s something that we need to look at, what the outcomes are and what it means for Formula One, how we can learn from that.
“We want to talk about racing cars, and we want to talk about the sport, rather than these kind of very, very critical topics that are more than just a team issues. It’s an issue for all of Formula One, and in general for every individual that works out there.”
Horner will face the media on Thursday when he speaks in a press conference with fellow team bosses.
He has already spoken to the media since the allegations became public, doing so extensively at the launch of Red Bull’s 2024 F1 car.
At the launch, told ESPN the he is confident that he will stay in his job.
Horner is the only team boss Red Bull’s F1 team has ever had.
He has led the team through two spells of dominance — one in the early 2010s and the other in current era, with Red Bull winning three straight drivers’ championships and two straight constructors’ championships coming into 2024.
Source: www.espn.com