SAKHIR, Bahrain — Crimson Bull dismissed the allegations of misconduct towards workforce principal Christian Horner on Wednesday, closing an investigation that has overshadowed the beginning of the Formulation 1 season.
Horner will stay answerable for the champion F1 workforce after Crimson Bull’s inner investigation cleared him of alleged misconduct towards a workforce worker.
The main points of the allegations haven’t been made public, however the investigation had been the foremost speaking level within the run-up to this weekend’s season-opening race in Bahrain. The Crimson Bull announcement got here shortly after the workforce drivers had completed their common pre-race media availability and fewer than 24 hours earlier than the primary apply session.
“The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr. Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial,” the Crimson Bull dad or mum firm mentioned in a press release.
“The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”
Crimson Bull received all however one race final season, and its driver Max Verstappen is the three-time defending champion.
Horner had remained in his publish in the course of the investigation as a part of what he referred to as a “business as normal” method, and was answerable for the workforce for preseason checks final week, whilst he admitted the investigation was a distraction. He had denied wrongdoing.
F1 and the governing physique, the FIA, didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark following Crimson Bull’s assertion that the criticism towards Horner had been dismissed.
Talking earlier than the announcement, Mercedes driver and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton mentioned the investigation into Horner was a check of the game’s values.
“Any allegations have to be taken very seriously. Obviously we don’t know everything that’s gone on, but it does need to be resolved as it’s hanging over the sport,” Hamilton mentioned. “I think it’s a really important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values.”
Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, which is about to develop into Crimson Bull’s engine provider in 2026, wrote to the workforce final week demanding a decision to the investigation, in a letter seen by The Related Press.
Rival workforce principals Toto Wolff of Mercedes and Zak Brown of McLaren final week referred to as for the investigation to be clear.
Horner, 50, has been Crimson Bull workforce principal because it entered F1 as a full constructor in 2005. He has guided the workforce to 6 constructors’ championships and 7 drivers’ championships throughout his time there.
Crimson Bull received 4 drivers’ titles in a row with Sebastian Vettel from 2010 by 2013, and three titles with Verstappen since 2021.
Horner is married to Geri Halliwell, higher referred to as Ginger Spice of the feminine pop group The Spice Ladies. Horner’s profile exterior F1 was raised by his outstanding function within the Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive” and by his combative relationship with Wolff amid a bitter title battle between Verstappen and Hamilton in 2021.
Verstappen mentioned the investigation has not been a distraction to his bid to win a fourth successive title. The Dutch driver received a file 19 races final season and is extensively thought-about the clear favourite this 12 months, aided by a Crimson Bull automobile which has been considerably redesigned.
“I’m very focused on just the performance of the car myself and hopefully it (the investigation) will just be resolved very soon,” Verstappen mentioned Wednesday earlier than Crimson Bull issued its assertion. “It’s a whole team effort that everyone has to stick together and work toward more success and that’s why it’s important to get everything resolved very soon.”
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AP Auto Racing Author Jenna Fryer in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing