"It‘s a phenomenon, or its an issue for all of F1” - Toto Wolff gives his verdict on Christian Horner’s Red Bull investigation

Toto Wolff reserved his judgement on Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner’s investigation, but felt people working in the sport needed to set standards. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda in the press conference, the Mercedes boss felt it was an issue for all those in the sport but there were better topics to discuss rather than the Red Bull investigation.

With Horner’s investigation clouding the news cycle in the build-up to F1 testing week, Wolff felt it was preferable that they discussed racing and cars. The Mercedes chief felt despite the subject being a hot topic, it was an issue for everyone working in the sport. While he felt there was a lot of speculation in the last few weeks, he also believes that the transparency of the process will set an example for the sport.

As an important figure in the sport, the Austrian felt that it was important to set standards through the global platform. He feels Red Bull are handling it well and the investigation is being followed closely by all those involved in the sport. He also reckoned that the probe needed to be fair and rigorous to ensure fairness and transparency.

Speaking at the press conference on the first day of testing, Wolff commented on the Red Bull investigation saying:

“I think it's clear, F1, and what the teams do, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity. And it's not only about talking about it, but living it day [in], day out. And I think this is the standard that we're setting ourselves. We are a global sport, one of the most important sports platform in the world and we're role models. But having said that, there is a lot of speculation that's been happening over the last weeks, speculation that we have heard of. And lots of things that are going on.”

He added:

“I think what's important at that stage, for process with rigour, I think what Red Bull has started as an independent investigation, if this is done in the right way, with transparency, and with that rigour. I think that's something that we need to look at, what the outcomes are, and what it means for F1, and how we can learn from that.

"Because we want to talk about racing cars and we want to talk about the sport, rather than these kinds of very, very critical topics, that are more than just the team's issue. It's a phenomenon, or it's an issue for all of F1 and in general, for every individual that works out there.”

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Helmut Marko defends Red Bull chief Christian Horner

The Red Bull senior advisor felt that there were too many rumours and speculations due to the duration of the lengthy investigation into Christian Horner. Speaking to ServusTV, the Austrian veteran belies that the team acted fairly in the manner it’s conducting its investigation and reacting to the matter.

Breaking his silence on the team’s investigation into Horner, Marko said:

“As you know, this is an internal investigation. The sooner a result is available, the better because of course, rumours and other stories are bound to sprout due to the long duration. But I think Red Bull has reacted very well in this matter. The long duration of this investigation is not their fault. They are endeavouring to [have] a fair investigation and then react accordingly.”

While there has been no update from Red Bull regarding the matter, Horner is present at the preseason test in Bahrain and is likely to be there at the first race. With several reports doing the rounds, it has been unclear as to what the allegations are against the Brit, apart from a Telegraaf Netherlands report suggesting that ‘sexual misconduct’ was involved. However, at the moment it is understood that the investigation could take time and won’t be subject to any F1 timeline, as suggested by many.