F1 and FIA leaders will discuss the Horner case

The F1 season opener in Sakhir has been overshadowed by continuing developments in the allegations made against Horner by a Red Bull Racing employee.

Following an eight-week investigation, a report by an independent lawyer on behalf of the energy drinks company on Wednesday evening rejected the allegations made against its F1 team principal.

However, the situation took a turn just 24 hours later when anonymous emails sent to high-level F1 personnel – including team principals and the media – revealed alleged evidence that formed part of the investigation into Horner.

Red Bull has provided no indication as to the veracity of the dossier sent, and it cannot be ruled out that some of the files were fabricated to discredit Horner. Because the status of the complaints remains confidential, neither the team nor Horner himself could comment on any aspect of the evidence.

But while Horner's situation has so far been an internal issue at Red Bull, the way the controversy has attracted attention away from the track has raised some questions about whether intervention by the FIA ​​and FOM is needed.

While the FOM has no direct regulatory authority over competitors, its interest is in ensuring that the image of the sport is not tarnished by the events that are grabbing headlines around the world. The FIA ​​also has an interest in ensuring that the issue does not bring F1 into disrepute.

Both the FOM and the FIA ​​were included among the recipients of the anonymous emails and motorsport's governing body is reportedly considering its next steps in light of what has happened.

Any action could be taken after discussions with Domenicali.
The pair meet regularly at F1 weekends to discuss the latest Grand Prix developments and sources have suggested the Horner issue will be part of discussions scheduled for Friday.

There are many options that the FIA ​​could take if it were to decide to intervene. He may decide to leave the situation to be resolved by Red Bull, as it only involves individual team members and has no repercussions on other competitors.

He may also feel that the time has come to better understand the issues at stake, so he may request, in strict confidence, access to Red Bull's final report on the investigation's findings to ensure that everything is in order.

However, Red Bull would not necessarily be forced to hand it over under these circumstances, especially if it contains confidential content.

Another possibility is for the FIA ​​to involve its Ethics or Compliance Department to investigate whether or not there has been a breach of the regulations.

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

The FIA ​​International Sporting Code provides that the FIA ​​can take action if it believes that there has been behavior that is not in the interests of the championship.

Article 12.2.1.c of the International Sporting Code states that competitors will be held guilty of an infringement for: “Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or the interests of motor sport generally.”

Furthermore, Article 12.2.1.f adds that another violation of the rules would be: “Any word, act or writing which caused moral damage or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally to the interests of motorsport and the values ​​defended by the FIA”.

It is also interesting that if Red Bull refuses to cooperate with the FIA ​​on the matter, or refuses to hand over documents, this could also open the door to potential problems.

Article 12.2.1.g states that “any failure to cooperate in an investigation” will be considered an infringement.

Any FIA investigation could help give F1 the transparency into what really happened behind the scenes that rival team leaders have been clamoring for.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said on Thursday: “I think with the aspiration of a global sport on such critical issues, there needs to be more transparency. And I wonder what the sport's position is.”