Red Bull ‘has never been so strong’, says Christian Horner after being cleared

The director of the Austrian team was cleared by an internal investigation on Wednesday after being targeted by accusations of “inappropriate behavior”.

Christian Horner wants to turn the page. The historic director of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, cleared of accusations of “inappropriate behavior” brought against him by an internal investigation, assured, Thursday February 29, that the unit in his stable “has never been stronger”while several teams denounce a lack of transparency in this matter.

Christian Horner, 50, was suspected of “inappropriate behavior” towards an employee, “allegations” that he always “totally” rejected. The outcome of the internal investigation targeting the Briton, revealed at the beginning of February, was communicated on Wednesday evening by the parent company of the team, reigning world champion among manufacturers.

“I am happy to be here in Bahrain. Together with the team, we are focused on the coming season”, Christian Horner told Sky Sports the day after the decision. Unity in the ranks of Red Bull, “has never been stronger”he also assured.

Arriving Wednesday evening on the Persian Gulf island, the leader, kept in his post, now says “focus on the Grand Prix and the upcoming season to try to defend our two titles [pilotes et constructeurs]. I cannot give you any further comments, but the process has been carried out and concluded”. According to the press release released Wednesday, the complainant has the right to appeal the decision. For the moment, no information to this effect has been communicated.

Team bosses demand transparency

Questioned at a press conference on Thursday, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called for more transparency regarding the conclusions of this investigation, the details of which have not been revealed.“I feel like we can’t really look behind the curtain, but at the end of the day there was a woman in an organization who spoke to HR and said there was a problem, which was addressed. “an investigation and yesterday the sport received a message saying everything was fine. We looked into the matterdefended Wolff. I think that with the desire for a global sport on such critical subjects, there needs to be more transparency.”.

Red Bull indicated on Wednesday in its laconic press release that “the investigation report [étant] confidential and [contenant] private information about parties and third parties who participated in the investigation”the group would not make further comments “out of respect for everyone involved”. “There will still be a lot of speculation, as many questions remain unanswered about the entire processdenounced Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, on Thursday. And that’s what those who run the sport need to be able to really put a stop to it.”