formula 1
Anonymous emails: New pressure on Red Bull team boss
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is still under pressure. photo
© Darko Bandic/AP
The supposed calm for Christian Horner was short-lived. In the Formula 1 paddock in Bahrain, anonymous emails put Red Bull’s team boss back in the spotlight.
In front of the sand-colored pavilion Red Bull photographers and TV teams have positioned themselves in the Formula 1 paddock in Bahrain. In the focus of the cameras: Not triple world champion Max Verstappen, as is usually the case, but once again his team boss Christian Horner.
The relief after the quasi-acquittal for the 50-year-old in the spicy affair involving allegedly inappropriate behavior towards an employee was short-lived in the rocky desert of Sakhir. Two anonymous emails sent to a select group of people, including the other nine team bosses and bosses of Formula 1, once again overshadowed the sporting events one day before the start of the season. Unrest broke out when the emails arrived in inboxes around 24 hours after parent company Red Bull announced the dismissed complaint against Horner.
Horner speaks out after anonymous emails
It remained unclear for the time being whether the content sent via the link was real. A short time later, Horner, who has been team boss of Red Bull Racing since 2005, had a statement read out in the paddock via a spokesman on his behalf. “I will not comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate: I have always denied the allegations.”
Until then, like at the presentation of the new racing car or during the test drives, he had behaved as usual: business as usual. In Bahrain, Horner chatted with team members on the terrace of the pavilion, he didn’t hide.
Affair with features of a criminal case
After the matter had occupied the highly polished Formula 1 world for weeks before the start, the anonymous emails became the main topic of conversation again. And the matter surrounding the Brit, who has been married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell since 2015, took on the characteristics of a criminal case.
The questions: Who would benefit from the emails? Who actually has access to the addressees, among whom, for example, were only media representatives with seasonal accreditation? And who actually sent the emails? The extent to which all of this will now become the subject of possible further investigations and investigations remains to be seen. In any case, Horner’s lawyers sent an email that same evening and, among other things, pointed out that Horner had denied all allegations.
Horner himself said after the emails became known that he respected the integrity of the independent investigation and cooperated fully with it at every step. “It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent attorney and concluded that the complaint filed was dismissed. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.”
Mercedes team boss calls for more transparency
After the parent company confirmed the allegations and the investigation on February 5th, Red Bull announced that the complaint had been dismissed 23 days later. That was on Wednesday, one day before the start of training for the Formula 1 season. Red Bull also clarified that the investigation report is confidential and contains private information of the parties and third parties who participated in the investigation. “Out of respect for everyone involved, Red Bull will not comment further.”
Formula 1 seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, the major image crash before the start of the record season with 24 races averted. Nevertheless, Horner’s counterparts Toto Wolff and Zak Brown complained about what they saw as a lack of transparency in the matter at the official media round on Thursday. “As a sport, we cannot afford to leave things vague and obscure,” said Wolff, team boss of the German factory racing team Mercedes.
Horner matter supposedly top item at bosses’ meeting
He and Brown also saw the bosses of Formula 1 and the International Automobile Federation as having a duty. “The sport needs this to put a stop to it, otherwise it’s not healthy for the sport,” Brown said.
There was initially no response to the emails from the commercial rights holder from the USA and the regulator based in Paris. But there was a lot of activity in the offices. At an already planned meeting between Formula 1 managing director Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the topic is rumored to be at the top of the list before the race on Saturday (4 p.m./Sky and RTL).