- By Andrew Benson
- Chief F1 writer
Allegations a distraction for Red Bull team – Horner
Red Bull’s team principal Horner is the subject of an internal investigation by the team into his behaviour towards a female colleague.
Horner, who has led the team since 2005, has denied the allegations.
Mercedes team principal Wolff has called for the investigation to be transparent.
“If it is done in the right way with transparency and rigour, we need to look at the outcomes and what it means for F1 and how we can learn from that,” said Wolff.
“We want to talk about sport rather than these kind of very, very critical topics.”
Wolff was the only one of five team principals prepared to address a question on the Horner allegations in a news conference on the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Wednesday.
He added: “F1 and the teams, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity. And it is not only talking about it, it is living it day in and day out.
“These are the standards we are setting ourselves. We are a global sport, one of the most important sports in the world, and we are role models.
“But there is a lot of speculation happening over the last weeks, speculation we have heard of, and lots of things that are going on.
“It is not just a team issue. It is an issue for all of F1.”
Wolff is the first senior figure to comment on the allegations against Horner, who remains in his position as Red Bull team principal while the investigation is ongoing.
Red Bull have failed to explain why the investigation is taking so long after the allegations first emerged earlier this month.
F1, the sport’s commercial rights holders, have urged Red Bull to clarify the matter “at the earliest opportunity after a fair and thorough process”.
Governing body the FIA has said it will not comment until the investigation is complete, but added: “The FIA remains committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, fairness and inclusivity within the sport.”
Red Bull’s lawyer is expected to compile a report which will then be submitted to the company’s board.
The identity of the lawyer has not been made public, nor have any other details about the scope of the investigation.
