Christian Horner wants his future as Red Bull’s team principal to be resolved as soon as possible. The investigation into Horner after allegations of inappropriate behaviour is ongoing and his career still hangs in the balance, even as Formula One gears up for the new season in just over a week’s time.
On the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain, Horner faced the media for the first time since the launch of the new Red Bull car last week. In Milton Keynes, Horner had emphatically restated his innocence, but in Bahrain he declined to engage on whether he should have stepped down while the inquiry continued.
“There is a process going on which I form part of and as I form part of that process, I am afraid I cannot comment on it,” he said. “Everybody would like a conclusion as soon as possible. But I am really not at liberty to comment about the process.”
No timescale has been given for when the investigation, which was announced on 5 February, may end.
The inquiry was instigated by Red Bull’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, after a complaint by a female member of Red Bull Racing’s personnel, who it is understood has alleged “controlling” behaviour by Horner. The independent, external inquiry is being undertaken by an English barrister, who remains unnamed but who has already extensively interviewed Horner about the allegations. Neither Red Bull Racing nor the parent company have made any statement on the investigation since it began, the complaint, nor offered any details of the process taking place.
On Wednesday the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, called for the investigation to be made transparent and rigorous. On Thursday the McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, reiterated Wolff’s demands and indicated the process was potentially damaging for F1.
“The allegations are extremely serious,” he said. “Red Bull corporation has launched an investigation, and all we hope and assume is that it will be handled in a very transparent way and as the FIA and Formula One has said, swiftly, because these are not the headlines that Formula One wants or needs at this time.”
With only three days of pre-season testing this year before the first race in Bahrain on 2 March, track time has been vital. However, on Thursday some of that crucial running was lost when Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari dislodged a drain cover at turn 11 only two hours into the morning session.
Debris struck his Ferrari and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who was making his first run of the season. The session was stopped to repair the cover then abandoned, with Leclerc quickest on the time sheets from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
The second session was extended to five hours – from four – to claw back some of the lost time and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz ended the day on top. He finished seven-tenths clear of Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez but was running the softer tyre.
Hamilton was third, three-tenths off Pérez, and completed an impressive 123 laps. He appeared to be sticking to Mercedes’ running plan focused on bringing their entirely new design up to speed but indications are that he, as with teammate George Russell on Wednesday, is finding the new car’s handling is giving them far more confidence through the corners, a major failing of their ride for the past two seasons.
