Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff (pictured above) says the Red Bull investigation into Christian Horner needs to be “a process with rigor” to live up to the standards Formula 1 wants to maintain.
Horner is the subject of an independent investigation that was initiated by Red Bull GmbH due to allegations of inappropriate behavior, and faced an hours-long hearing nearly two weeks ago as part of the process. Horner has not been suspended while the investigation is ongoing and F1 has stated it hopes “the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity.”
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“I think it’s clear,” Wolff said ahead of preseason testing in Bahrain. “Formula 1 and what the teams do, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity. And it’s not only talking about it, but living it day in, day out. I think these are the standards that we’re setting ourselves. We live in a global sport, one of the most important sports platforms in the world, and we are role models.
“But having said that, there is a lot of speculation that has been happening over the last weeks, speculation that we’ve heard of, and lots of things that are going on. I think what’s important at that stage is for a process with rigor.
“I think what Red Bull has started, as an independent investigation, if this is done in the right way with transparency and that rigor, it’s something that we need to look at, what the outcomes are and what it means for Formula 1, how we can learn from that.
“We want to talk about racing cars and we want to talk about the sport, rather than these kind of very, very critical topics that are more than just a team issue. It’s an issue for all of Formula 1, and in general for every individual that works out there.”
Horner, who denies the allegations, is due to appear during an F1-organized press conference on Thursday during the lunch break on the second day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.