Over the past month, there has been a lot of news around Formula 1. However, Christian Horner‘s scandal was the one drawing the most media attention. At the beginning of February, a female colleague accused Horner of inappropriate behavior. However, by the month’s end, Red Bull GmbH (the organization that had originally launched the investigation against him) dismissed those grievances against Horner. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff feels that a more comprehensive investigation is necessary to determine the true nature of the problem. Talking about the same with OE24, the Austrian delved deep into the Red Bull daily soap, while also citing Horner’s personality as the main factor in the aftermath of it.
When asked if the turns Horner’s case had gone through shocked him, Wolff said, “No, because we live in a very transparent world. Not saying something only makes it more interesting: This leads to more questions, more stories, and more speculation.”
Additionally, the 52-year-old shared his thoughts on Red Bull’s information strategy. According to Wolff, there is a significant backstory that is worth investigating. While putting a question in front of the F1 community, the Austrian said, ‘Why did a woman who felt uncomfortable would go to HR?’ After raising some skepticism, Wolff expressed concerns about the issue not receiving enough attention.
When pressed for an explanation, the Mercedes boss suggested that the reason behind this could be that Austrians are highly professional, while in England, ‘things are kept’ small.’
While wrapping up, Wolff also discussed Gerhard Berger’s notion of Horner staying, Marko and Newey resigning, and Max leaving for Mercedes. He said, “If Horner stays at Red Bull there are exciting scenarios. Ultimately, it’s about Horner’s personality.”
Toto Wolff expresses concern about Red Bull GmbH’s lack of transparency regarding Horner’s case
Nearly everyone’s attention was on the Red Bull parent company Red Bull GmbH’s investigation of Christian Horner’s case. Nevertheless, the ongoing investigation ended, and they dismissed complaints against Horner without Red Bull GmbH disclosing any information about its internal probe.
This fact has certainly made Mercedes boss Toto Wolff a little dissatisfied. This was quite apparent from Wolff’s response when he addressed the issue at the Bahrain press conference.
Toto Wolff says Formula One must ‘set the compass right’ as he stokes fires over Christian Horner scandal… as Mercedes boss demands the matter is taken out of Red Bull’s hands https://t.co/RKmYGNtzpa
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) March 3, 2024
Speaking with Planet F1, Wolff said, “My personal opinion is we can’t really look at the behind the curtain. I believe that with the sport as a global sport, on such critical topics, it needs more transparency and I wonder what the sport’s position is.”
Subsequently, Wolff acknowledged that while having a personal point of view is a certain thing, acting on the matter remains crucial. While concluding Wolff undermined the value of transparency as he stated that the F1 community must evaluate the situation and determine what is right and wrong.
