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FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently gave his views on the situation surrounding Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
Red Bull recently conducted an internal investigation into Horner after he was accused of inappropriate and controlling behavior by a female employee. The investigation concluded with him being cleared of any accusations made against him. Following the investigation, however, an email leaked 79 pictures of an alleged WhatsApp conversation between Horner and the female employee.
This led to FIA president and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali meeting with Red Bull's team principal to discuss the situation. Speaking to the Financial Times, Sulayem stated how damaging the entire Horner saga was for F1 as it entered the 2024 season.
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"It’s damaging the sport...This is damaging on a human level," he said.
“It’s 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?” he added.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem's comments did not go down with many fans on X (formerly Twitter).
One user wrote that if the FIA starts discussing transparency, they would want to see the details of 2019's engine investigation settlement the governing body had with Ferrari back in 2020.
"If they get involved talking about tRaNsPaReNcY then I wanna see that sealed Ferrari engine settlement!" the user wrote.
While some fans wanted the FIA to look into Christian Horner's investigation, others stated that they wanted the entire situation to end since the 2024 F1 season has started.
"I speak for all F1 fans we are ready for this to be over regardless of whatever happens," another fan wrote.
Christian Horner issues statement after Red Bull's investigation details got leaked
Christian Horner recently addressed the leaked information from Red Bull's internal investigation.
After Red Bull concluded their internal investigation into Horner, they wanted to respect the privacy of concerned parties by keeping all the details hidden. However, an anonymous account shared a Google Drive link with evidence about the investigation to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, Liberty Media, and several journalists.
Following this, a spokesperson on behalf of the Red Bull team principal said that Horner is fully focused on the 2024 F1 season and denies any allegations against him.
"I won't comment on anonymous speculation, 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," Horner's spokesperson said (via AP News)
As of now, Christian Horner remains the team principal at Red Bull and was present in Bahrain for the 2024 F1 season opener.
