By Tamara Prenn
Christian Horner could yet find himself in breach of an obscure clause in Formula One’s International Sporting Code after a tranche of inappropriate texts and photographs – appearing to be between the Red Bull team principal and a female employee – was circulated anonymously on Thursday afternoon.
The FIA’s International Sporting Code contains a sub-section of an article which hints at the moral responsibility competitors have to the organisation, and outlines that being in breach of their rules is ‘punishable, whether (…) committed intentionally or through negligence’.
Article 12.2.1f states that a competitor could be found in breach of their code for: ‘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’.
Horner vowed to fight on within hours of the scandal deepening, and is now preparing for tomorrow’s Bahrain GP
Should the FIA wish the launch their own investigation into the alleged texts and photographs, Horner and Red Bull’s management of the investigation, or the impact the media storm could be having on how the sport is viewed, whether the email has brought F1 into disrepute could be examined, with potential sanctions handed out.
Some of Horner’s peers were initially unsatisfied with the team’s parent company’s statement upon clearing the team head on Wednesday, which stressed that their KC-led investigation was ‘confidential’.
Neither the sport’s owners, Liberty Media, or the FIA have seen the 150-page report, and Mercedes team principal was among the first to call for greater transparency over the investigation.
Horner and Geri Halliwell at the Larkhill Royal Artillary Point to Point
Halliwell is said to be ‘highly unlikely’ to fly out to Bahrain to join her husband. Pictured: Their wedding day in 2015
‘I believe with the aspiration as a global sport, on such critical topics, it needs more transparency and I wonder what the sport’s position is?’ Wolff told reporters.
‘We’re competitors, we’re a team and we can have our own personal opinions or not. But it’s more like a general reaction or action that we as a sport need to assess, what is right in that situation and what is wrong.
‘Are we talking with the right moral approach, with the values based on the speculation that is out there?’
McLaren CEO Zak Brown echoed his comments as he advocated for the sport’s owners and organisers to ‘make sure that all the racing teams and the personnel and the drivers and everyone else involved in the sport are operating in a manner which we all live by.’
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was one of the recipients of the anonymous email
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was among the voices in the sport calling for greater transparency over the investigation
In the wake of the circulated email, Horner doubled down on asserting that his ‘full focus’ was the upcoming race weekend.
‘I will not comment on anonymous speculation,’ Horner said, ‘but to reiterate I have always denied the allegations.
‘I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way.
‘It was a thorough and fair investigation, conducted by an independent specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made.
‘I remain fully focused on the start of the season.’
A spokesperson for Red Bull GmbH called the development a ‘private matter’ in a short statement.
‘It is a private matter between Mr Horner and it would be inappropriate for Red Bull to comment on this,’ their missive read.
