F1 intervenes in the Horner case: “We hope it will be resolved soon”

Horner is the subject of an investigation launched by the parent company of Red Bull, maker of energy drinks, regarding allegations made against him by an employee.

Horner has denied committing any wrongdoing and recently faced lengthy questioning by the independent lawyer appointed by Red Bull, who was tasked with looking into the matter.

While Red Bull is analyzing the results of the investigation to decide what, if any, action to take, Horner has remained in his role. Horner in fact attended the launch of the 2024 car, which took place a few days ago at the Milton Keynes factory, and is expected to participate in pre-season testing in Bahrain ahead of the start of the F1 season on March 2.

Interest in the Horner affair and the nature of the allegations has grown in recent days and will likely intensify when the Circus travels to Bahrain in a few days for the start of pre-championship tests.

In a statement released on Sunday, F1's commercial rights holders issued a short statement in which they hoped the matter would be resolved as soon as possible, in what could be seen as a clear message to Red Bull not to let things slide. drag on during the season.

“We are aware that Red Bull has launched an independent investigation into the internal allegations at Red Bull Racing,” F1 said in a statement.

“We hope that this matter will be clarified as soon as possible, after a fair and thorough process, and we will not be commenting further at this time.”

While hoping that the situation can be resolved quickly, F1 does not have the formal authority to intervene in the matter or to take action against the team or Horner if it deems it necessary to do so. This falls solely within the competence of the FIA, which could decide to intervene in the event of evidence of wrongdoing that goes against the standards supported by the Federation.

Article 12.2.1f of the International Sporting Code states that a competitor will be considered guilty of an infringement for: “Any word, act or writing which has caused moral damage or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its managers, and more generally to the interests of motor sport and the values ​​defended by the FIA”. An article used on several occasions last year when Gunther Steiner, Frederic Vasseur and Toto Wolff had argued after Monaco and in Las Vegas, so much so that the former Haas Team Principal was also given a reprimand for accusing the stewards about a penalty imposed on Kevin Magnussen.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

F1's statement on Horner's situation comes just days after Red Bull's future engine partner Ford said it was keeping the situation under control. Speaking to the Associated Press, Mark Rushbrook, global head of Ford Performance Motorsport, said the auto giant expects Red Bull to meet certain standards.

“As a family business and as a company that holds itself to very high standards of behavior and integrity, we expect the same from our partners. It appears to us, and we have been told, that Red Bull is taking the situation very seriously. And of course they are worried about their brand too. That's why they've launched an independent investigation and until we see the truth, it's too early for us to comment,” Rushbrook said.

Speaking at the car's launch last week, Horner said the investigation was a distraction for the team, but insisted it would not affect its focus on the track. “Inevitably there was a distraction, but the team is very united. Everyone is focused on the season ahead. It was business as usual. The support has been fantastic.”