The F1 season-opener at Sakhir has been overshadowed by the ongoing developments surrounding allegations made against Horner by a female employee of Red Bull Racing. Following an eight-week-long investigation, a report compiled by an independent barrister on behalf of the Red Bull energy drinks company dismissed the claims made against its F1 team principal on Wednesday evening. However, matters took a twist just 24 hours later when anonymous emails sent to senior personnel with F1 – including team bosses and media – revealed alleged evidence that had been part of the Horner investigation. There has been no indication from Red Bull about the veracity of the dossier that was sent out, and it is not impossible that some of the files may have been fabricated as part of an effort to discredit Horner. As the situation surrounding the complaints remains a confidential matter, neither the team nor Horner himself have been able to make any comment regarding any aspect of the evidence.
While the Horner situation has so far been an internal matter for Red Bull, the way that the controversy has grabbed attention away from track action has prompted some questions about whether the FIA and FOM need to intervene. While FOM does not have direct regulatory authority over competitors, its interests are in ensuring that the world championship’s image is not tarnished by the events which are grabbing headlines around the world. The FIA too has an interest in ensuring that the matter does not bring F1 into disrepute. Both the FOM and FIA were included as recipients of the anonymous emails, and it is understood that motor racing’s governing body is evaluating its next steps in light of what happened. Moves to take potential action could move forward following discussions with Domenicali. The pair regularly meet on F1 weekends to discuss the latest developments in grand prix racing, and sources have suggested that the Horner matter will make up part of their discussions that have been scheduled for Friday.
There are many options that the FIA could take if it is decided that an intervention is needed. It could decide that the situation should be left for Red Bull to sort itself out, as it involves only individual team members and does not impact other competitors. It could also feel that the time has come for it to get a better understanding of the matters at stake, so it could request – under strict confidentiality – access to the final Red Bull report into the findings of the investigation to ensure everything is above board. Red Bull would not necessarily be forced to hand it over under such circumstances though, especially if there are confidential contents within it. One other option is that the FIA involves its Ethics or Compliance Department to investigate whether or not there has been a breach of the regulations.
The FIA’s International Sporting Code gives it grounds to move if it feels there has been behaviour that is not in the best interest of the championship. Article 12.2.1.c of the International Sporting Code states competitors will be deemed to have committed an offence for: “Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any Competition or to the interests of motor sport generally.” Furthermore, Article 12.2.1.f added another breach of the rules would be: “Any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA.” If Red Bull refused to co-operate with the FIA over the matter, or declined to hand over documents, then that too could open the door to trouble. Article 12.2.1.g states that “any failure to cooperate in an investigation” will be deemed to be an offence.
Any FIA investigation could help deliver to F1 the transparency over what has really happened behind the scenes that rival team bosses have been calling for. On Thursday, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: “I believe that with the aspiration as a global sport on such critical topics, it needs more transparency.” The unfolding situation surrounding Christian Horner and the allegations made against him have brought to light the challenges that the sport faces when dealing with sensitive internal matters that risk overshadowing the excitement of on-track competition. The need for appropriate intervention and the maintenance of integrity within Formula 1 remains paramount as the situation continues to evolve.