SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) – Red Bull principal Christian Horner released evidence of his own misconduct investigation on Thursday, two days before his team begins its bid for a fourth consecutive Formula 1 drivers' championship. He dismissed “anonymous speculation'' after the article was widely distributed.
His statement was forced by a surprising off-orbit development. 2nd practice During the Bahrain Grand Prix, around 200 people in the F1 paddock, including Liberty Media, F1, the FIA, representatives from nine other teams and multiple media outlets, were found to have a file purported to contain evidence submitted against Horner. emailed to.
The authenticity of the file has not been verified by The Associated Press. The file was sent from a common email account.
The file was sent the next day to the team's parent company. dismissed the complaint Alleging misconduct by Horner against team employees. He was in practice when the file was sent.
“I do not comment on anonymous speculation, but again, I have always denied the allegations,” Horner said in a statement read to reporters by a team spokesperson. This statement is from Horner and does not represent Red Bell.
“I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and cooperated fully every step of the way,” Horner said. “A thorough and fair investigation was conducted by an independent specialist barrister and concluded with the charges dismissed. I remain fully focused as the season begins.”
Details of the allegations regarding Mr. Horner have not been made public. Red Bull announced on Wednesday that the complainants have the right to appeal the decision.
Horner, 50, has been Red Bull's team principal since it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He led the team to six constructors' championships and seven drivers' championships. Red Bull won all but one of the 22 races last season, with three-time champion Max Verstappen taking 19 wins. Its redesigned car is widely considered to be the fastest on the grid in 2024 ahead of Saturday's season opener.
McLaren team principal Zak Brown said F1 and governing body the FIA should seek to reconsider Red Bull's decision to dismiss the charges.
“From what I've seen, there are still a lot of rumors and speculation and questions,” Brown said shortly before the anonymous email was sent. “I think the sanctioning bodies have a responsibility and authority towards our sport, towards our fans. As we see in other sports, all of us involved in F1 are ambassadors of the sport on and off the track. I think we need to make sure we’re completely transparent.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called Red Bull's statement, which did not include any details of the investigation, “very basic” and said F1 “needs more transparency” on the issue. .
“As a sport, we simply cannot afford to leave things vague and opaque on such an important topic, because that would be out to us,” he added. Speaking in front of an anonymous email.
Horner, who continued in his role as Red Bull's team principal during the internal investigation, led the team in practice on Thursday and said the team was more united than ever before the new season.
“I'm glad the process is over,” Horner told British broadcaster Sky Sports News after Wolff and Brown's comments. “Obviously I can't comment on that, but we're here now to focus on the Grand Prix and the season ahead and defend both titles.”
When asked if the team was united, he said, “I've never been this strong within the team.''
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