The opening of the new Formula 1 season was dramatically overshadowed on Thursday evening after a leaked email claiming to contain images of messages between Christian Horner and the female staff member who had filed a complaint against him was sent to media, team members and senior staff within the organization was sent. F1 and the sport’s governing body, the FIA.
Less than 24 hours after the outcome of the investigation into Horner for alleged inappropriate behavior cleared the Red Bull team boss and dismissed the complaint, the sport was once again awash with speculation and suspicions after the anonymous email during the first race in the paddock circulated. of the season in Bahrain.
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The email was sent to recipients three times from two different email addresses and contained 79 images on a Google Drive link, including what were alleged to be messages between Horner and the female employee whose complaint was Red Bull Racing’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, initiated an investigation a few weeks ago.
While Horner and Red Bull had hoped to finally turn their focus back to racing during the second practice session of the day in Bahrain, attention was firmly turned away from the timing screens shortly after the session started at 6.22pm local time.
The images had been sent to journalists in the international press, team bosses and figures within the FIA and F1 management, under the subject heading: “Christian Horner investigation evidence”, with the email’s introduction stating: “In response of Red Bull’s recent research and statements you will be interested in the attached materials”.
There is no indication who sent the emails and the veracity of their content cannot be proven.
Responding to the incident, Horner strongly reaffirmed his denial of the allegations of improper conduct made against him and reiterated that he had no case to answer under the independent investigation conducted by an English lawyer.
“I will not comment on anonymous speculation,” he said. “But again, I have always denied the allegations, respected the integrity of the independent investigation and cooperated fully every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation, carried out by an independent specialist lawyer, and it led to the dismissal of the complaint submitted. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.”
On Wednesday, the outcome of the investigation was announced by Red Bull GmbH, which issued a brief statement saying the complaint had been dismissed, but that no details would be revealed about the complaint, what materials or evidence the investigation had seen or what findings it had delivered. created to protect the confidentiality of those involved.
The investigation lasted weeks and would have resulted in a 600-page report. Horner has been under close scrutiny since the case was made public on February 5, during which time he repeatedly and emphatically denied any wrongdoing. The decision not to release information caused unrest in the paddock with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who demanded transparency from the company and other senior figures within F1 also believe that after such a high-profile affair that damaged the sport’s reputation questioned, transparency is needed to ensure the issue has been handled correctly.
Before the leaked email emerged, Wolff, who had pushed for the investigation to be made public because it reflected F1 as a whole, stated that he did not find it satisfactory that the incident was closed without any disclosure of details or process.
“There’s a lady in an organization who spoke to HR and said there was an issue, and it was looked into and yesterday the sport got the message that it’s all fine, we’ve looked into it,” he said. “I believe that as we strive to be a global sport, on such crucial issues, there needs to be more transparency, and I wonder what the position of the sport is.”
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McLaren team boss Zak Brown agreed, claiming that F1 and its governing body, the FIA, should be given access to the investigation’s findings to reach their own conclusions and ensure the sport is not brought into disrepute is being brought.
“The sanctioning body has a responsibility and authority towards our sport and our fans,” he said. “They must ensure that matters have been completely transparent with them. It must be thorough and completely transparent and that they come to the same conclusion as Red Bull and that they agree with the outcome. Until then, it will remain speculation, because there are many unanswered questions about the entire process.”
With pressure mounting on Red Bull GmbH to share the information, Wolff warned that F1 must commit to proving its stated commitment to ethical conduct.
“As a sport, we cannot afford to leave things vague and opaque on crucial topics like this because this is going to catch us out,” he said.
F1 and the FIA have not yet commented on the outcome of the investigation or the trial itself as it is understood neither party has been aware of any information from the investigation.
Earlier in the day, Horner had expressed his desire to put the events of the previous weeks behind him and return to leading his team.
The parent company’s statement did not elaborate on whether Horner would remain team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing, leading to some speculation about his future role at the team. He has not spoken formally in Bahrain, where he was on the pit wall overseeing his team’s first training session of the new season, but was unequivocal when asked about his future.
“It’s very good to be here. I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “It is an honor to lead this team and I am happy to be here to defend our world titles.”