“This is damaging on a human level”: FIA president gives his view on the alleged evidence leak in Christian Horner's Red Bull investigation

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem claimed that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner's alleged evidence leak was causing 'damage on a human level'.

The F1 was rocked on Thursday evening when the media was sent a Google Drive link to alleged private messages and photos of Christian Horner. The link reportedly contained detailed and graphic conversations between the Red Bull team principal and another person.

The alleged leak came after Horner was cleared by the Red Bull board of any wrongdoing following their internal investigation that was conducted since the start of February. Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali met with Christian Horner privately on Friday.

Speaking with Financial Times, the FIA president commented on the whole matter:

“It’s damaging the sport . . . This is damaging on a human level. It is vital to protect our sport from all of this. It is the beginning of the season. F1 is becoming so popular. We just need to enjoy the beginning of the season. Look at the competition. Why do we overshadow it with negativity?”

F1 pundit chimes in on Red Bull team boss investigation

Sky Sports pundit Naomi Schiff stated that there was a 'sadness' attached to the whole situation revolving around the Red Bull team boss's internal investigation as it casts a negative shadow at the beginning of the 2024 season.

As per The Independent, Schiff said on the Sky Sports coverage:

“I think coming into the first race of the season, where there has been so much excitement around it, it’s really a shame this is casting a shadow over the weekend. But at the end of the day, we have to remember it’s an internal, corporate investigation. We don’t have all the information. So we leave it at that."

“It’s also a human story and there is some sadness to all of this. There are people who are going to be affected by this.”

Christian Horner had denied all the allegations and refused to comment on any speculations:

“I am not going to comment on anonymous speculation from unknown sources. 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.”