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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Christian Horner believes it is time to “move on” and put the focus back on the Formula One action on the track, saying that is where “the spotlight should be.”
But amid the continuing fallout from allegations against the Red Bull Racing team principal for inappropriate behavior and more FIA-related off-track controversies, the sport remains under a cloud.
Horner spoke at the FIA press conference ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Thursday, just hours after it emerged that Red Bull Racing had suspended the whistleblower who made the allegations with pay.
The complaint against Horner was dismissed following an investigation by King’s Counsel (KC), an independent investigator. According to a person briefed on the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the whistleblower’s suspension is related to the findings of the investigation.
Asked about The Athletic Regarding the suspension, Horner said he “cannot discuss anything confidential between an employee and a company.”
The “move on” comment came during a 30-minute news conference dominated by questions to Horner, who said: “Now is the time to look forward and draw a line.” He called this period “very difficult” for him and his family, against whom he said the “intrusion” had to end. (Horner’s marriage to Geri Halliwell-Horner, formerly of the Spice Girls, has prompted increased media coverage, particularly in the United Kingdom.)
Horner acknowledged that a series of anonymously leaked messages, allegedly sent between him and the whistleblower, that emerged last week had “gained enormous coverage.” (Last week, he declined to comment on what he called “anonymous and speculative messages from an unknown source.”)
“Everything has been focused in one direction,” Horner said. “What happened after that is that others sought to take advantage of that. Unfortunately, Formula One is a competitive business and there are obviously elements that have sought to benefit from it. Maybe that’s the not-so-nice side of our industry.”
A recurring question about the case has centered on Red Bull’s lack of transparency and detail, something highlighted last week by two of the bosses of Horner’s rival F1 team, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and McLaren’s Zak Brown. “I think that with the aspiration to be a global sport on such critical issues more transparency is needed,” Wolff said. “I wonder where the sport stands.”
Announcing the outcome of the investigation, Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, said the report was “confidential” and that it would “make no further comment out of respect for all those involved.” This means that the details of the allegations and the reasons why the complaint was dismissed are still unknown.
Horner highlighted that confidentiality when asked about the need for transparency, particularly considering the issue in an era when F1 has been pushing for greater inclusivity and has enjoyed an influx of new, young fans.
Horner called it a “complicated issue” before noting that it was an internal matter for Red Bull and that the process was “confidential between individuals and the company itself.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have the freedom because of that confidentiality and out of respect for the company and, of course, the other party, that we are all subject to the same restrictions,” Horner said. “So even if I wanted to talk about it, I can’t because of those confidentiality restrictions.”
He said it was “not an FIA issue” nor “a Formula One issue” but a “company and employee issue, and that would be the same in any major organisation.”
The FIA, F1’s regulator, has shown no signs of getting involved in the matter. While FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem told the Financial Times in Bahrain last week that this situation was “harming the sport”, he also said he did not want to “pull the gun” and began any investigation through compliance or the ethics of the FIA. department.
On Thursday, when The Athletic They approached the FIA for comment on Red Bull’s decision, a spokesperson said they were surprised they had been asked about what they called “a team employment matter”, and instead suggested contacting F1. A spokesperson for F1 itself declined to comment.
Meanwhile, the FIA has its own problems. Its compliance department is investigating its chairman, Ben Sulayem, over allegations that he interfered in the outcome of last year’s Saudi Arabian GP, as first reported by BBC Sport. The FIA said it “received a report detailing possible allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies” and was “assessing the concerns.”
BBC Sport later reported that Ben Sulayem was also being investigated for allegedly wanting to prevent certification of the Las Vegas circuit. An FIA spokesperson said: “From a sporting and safety perspective, the approval of the Las Vegas circuit followed the FIA protocol in terms of inspection and certification. “If you recall, there was a delay in the track being available for inspection due to ongoing construction work by local organisers.” The same spokesperson also highlighted an interview given by Ben Sulayem to GP Racing magazine last November, where he explained his support for the green lighting of the Las Vegas track layout.
The four team principals at Thursday’s press conference – Horner and Krack were joined by Williams’ James Vowles and Alpine’s Bruno Famin – were asked about the investigations into the FIA president. Famin said we should focus on what happens on the track. Krack said that, from Aston Martin’s point of view, the matter was “clear and closed.” Vowles said he was glad a process existed and that “as far as I understand it, it’s under review, which is the right thing to do.”
The investigations mark the latest in a long series of controversies involving the FIA president. But Horner urged people not to “get ahead of the facts.”
“There needs to be an investigation,” Horner said. “And I am sure that the relevant parties will be followed and again the process that they have within the FIA statutes.
“The only thing I recommend is that you do not prejudge. Wait for the facts. Wait to see what the reality is before passing judgment.”
As much as Horner wants the focus to be on “the track and the racing” in F1, the current turmoil reflects negatively on the sport. There is no way to escape that. In the last three weeks it has reached not only the back page of the newspapers, but also the front pages. People talk about F1 for reasons the sport doesn’t want.
“It definitely doesn’t look good to the outside world, seen from the outside,” Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday. “It’s a very, very important time for sport to show and stick to its values, and for us to take responsibility for our actions.” He called it a “really pivotal moment” for F1, because of the message it sends to the rest of the world.
“I hope it’s not a year where this continues,” Hamilton said. “It highlights some of the issues we also have in sport, when we talk about diversity and inclusion that includes gender, for example, and making people feel comfortable in this environment is key. And clearly that is not the case.”
Horner is right to say that the action on the track is “where the focus should be” for F1. But as long as these questions and doubts persist, the focus will remain elsewhere.
(Main photo of Christian Horner and Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the Bahrain Formula One GP: ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP))
