- By Andrew Benson
- Chief F1 writer
55 minutes ago
video caption,
Allegations distract the Red Bull team – Horner
Red Bull team boss Horner is the subject of an internal investigation into the team's behavior towards a colleague.
Horner, who has led the team since 2005, has denied the allegations.
Mercedes team boss Wolff called for transparency in the investigation.
“If it is done in the right way, with transparency and accuracy, we need to look at the results and see what it means for Formula 1 and how we can learn from it,” Wolff said.
“We want to talk about sport and not about such very, very critical topics.”
Wolff was the only one of five team bosses willing to answer a question about the Horner allegations in a press conference on the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Wednesday.
He added: “Formula 1 and the teams stand for inclusion, equality, fairness and diversity. And we don’t just talk about it, we live it every day.”
“These are the standards we set for ourselves. We are a global sport, one of the most important sports in the world, and we are role models.”
“But over the last few weeks there's been a lot of speculation, speculation that we've heard about and a lot of things that are happening.”
“It’s not just a team problem. It’s a problem for the entire Formula 1.”
Wolff is the first senior figure to comment on the allegations against Horner, who remains in his position as Red Bull team boss while the investigation is ongoing.
Red Bull has not explained why the investigation is taking so long after the allegations first emerged earlier this month.
F1, the sport's commercial rights holder, has called on Red Bull to resolve the matter “as soon as possible following a fair and thorough process.”
The FIA's governing body has said it would not comment until the investigation is complete, but added: “The FIA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness and inclusivity within the sport.”
Red Bull's lawyer is expected to prepare a report, which will then be presented to the company's board.
The lawyer's identity was not released, nor were further details about the scope of the investigation provided.