"Nothing as vicious and unpleasant as this": F1 pundit gives his take on the leak of alleged evidence in the Christian Horner investigation

F1 pundit Joe Saward has claimed that the leak of alleged evidence after the Red Bull team principal Christian Horner's investigation had been completed was 'vicious and unpleasant'.

The Red Bull team boss has found himself dealing with one controversy after the other in the past month. He was accused of an alleged 'inappropriate behavior' with a member of staff and was questioned by an external investigator.

After he was cleared by Red Bull Gmbh of any wrongdoing in the matter, an alleged evidence leak containing text exchanges and graphic images was sent to the media ahead of the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP. In his blog, F1 pundit Joe Saward gave his take on the matter, writing:

"So when Red Bull GmbH announced that its investigation was complete and that the grievance had been dismissed, it seemed that the story was over. The complainant had a right of appeal and Red Bull said it was confident that the investigation had been “fair, rigorous and impartial.

"That was when the WhatsApp dossier landed. The distribution list included a number of very confidential email addresses so had to have been created by someone who is very well-connected in the F1 business."

He added:

"I have seen a lot of bad behavior in Formula 1, but nothing as vicious and unpleasant as this. I hope that whoever put this stuff out is identified, exposed, and even prosecuted. The explanation that best fits the facts is that while there is human drama on one level, the “relationship” is being used as a weapon in a fight for control of the racing team."

Christian Horner speaks about the 'unwanted attention' he has received in recent times

The Red Bull team principal, on his part, has stated that the amount of "unwanted attention" he has received of late takes away from the focus on the track at the start of the season.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Christian Horner said:

"Obviously it's not been pleasant, the unwanted attention. But the focus is now very much on the cars. My focus has very much been on what's going on on-track and the result today I think demonstrates where the whole team's focus is and we move onwards."

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Christian Horner as there is a visible rift in the Red Bull team after Max Verstappen's father Jos spoke against the Brit last weekend.