Christian Horner and Red Bull have been plunged into a new crisis after the leak of secret evidence from the investigation that cleared him of inappropriate behavior towards a female colleague.
Large portions of screenshots taken from alleged WhatsApp conversations between Horner and his accuser, including the images, were sent from an anonymous email address (febtwentyninth@gmail.com) at around 15:00 GMT to hundreds of journalists covering the case . .
The cause of the leak is unknown, but its timing could not be more dramatic, on the eve of the first grand prix of the season in Bahrain.
A total of 79 screenshots were posted to various outlets and inevitably began to appear on social media, first on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Facebook, and then more commonly in the West on X (formerly Twitter).
Among those who received the email were members of the Formula One paddock, including FIA president Mohamed ben Sulayem, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the grid’s nine other team principals.
Horner threatens to sue anyone who posts messages
Horner, 50, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, published a legal letter from Harbottle & Lewis, the law firm consulted by celebrities and royals seeking to protect their privacy and reputations, and threatened to sue any organization that did so. messages are public.
Horner’s lawyers argued that publishing the messages would be unlawful and reiterated that Horner denied the allegations.
It is not yet known whether the messages form any part of the investigation ordered into Horner by the team’s Austrian-based parent company, Red Bull GmbH. Red Bull said in a statement on Wednesday that “the complaint is rejected” and that the independent investigation was “fair, rigorous and impartial”. However, Red Bull refused to make the report public and refused to say who KC was who did it.
Horner’s famous wife was going to Bahrain to support her husband. He didn’t arrive until Thursday evening. Horner, known in some parts of the F1 world as Whinger Spice for complaining about decisions affecting his team, hopes he will come forward and publicly support him.
Horner, who showed his face on the Red Bull pit wall in both practice sessions on Thursday, said in a statement that did not directly address the veracity or relevance of the leaked messages: “I will not comment on anonymous speculation but I want to reiterate: I have always denied the allegations.
“I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and cooperated fully with it every step of the way.
“It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent expert lawyer and concluded that the complaint made was dismissed.”
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Messages ‘all over the internet’
The messages will further test the media law. While the UK has some of the most restrictive libel and privacy laws in the world, F1 is a global sport and coverage elsewhere may not be as forgiving.
Mark Stephens, media law expert and partner at Howard Kennedy solicitors, said: “This is a disgusting indication of how old we are in the UK and how outdated we are by the reality of global media. As messages circulate on the Internet, in newspapers on the Continent and around the world, we are entering the absurd situation where British newspapers cannot publish. “It is almost impossible to take action to stop this.”
Stephens said Horner’s lawyers will first go after the person who leaked the messages. “Clearly someone is after Horner and needs to try to track him down directly. That’s part of the challenge. Rightly or wrongly, this appears to be an attempt to put him out of business,” he said.
For now, Horner has two challenges to fight. One of these is commercial: remaining CEO of the Red Bull team, which he has transformed into by far the best in the world, justifying his £8 million salary. The second is to keep your marriage intact.
Horner’s rivals call for transparency
The leak comes as Horner’s arch-rivals question the outcome of the investigation that cleared him, amid calls for the sport’s governing body, the FIA, to launch its own investigation into the incident.
Mercedes and McLaren’s respective team principals Toto Wolff and Zak Brown have criticized a lack of transparency from Red Bull Racing F1’s Austrian parent company Red Bull GmbH, after it announced that a complaint against Horner had been dismissed.
Speaking at the press conference before the first race of the season in Bahrain, Wolff said: “There was a lady who stated that there was a problem in the organization, it was investigated and yesterday we all received the message that there was no problem.” . I believe a major sport needs more transparency on such dangerous matters. I wonder what the leadership’s position is. I don’t think it should remain as vague as it is now. We are strangers and of course we don’t know exactly what is going on. But just looking at one description, it doesn’t seem to me how things should be going these days. “But in Formula 1 we can be in our own bubble and others can be happy with that.”
Brown said: “There are still a lot of rumors and also a lot of questions. I think those who run this sport have a responsibility to the sport as a whole and to all our fans to make it clear that everything is open and transparent for them. “They come to the same conclusion as Red Bull and agree with the conclusion. “Until then, I think there will continue to be speculation and many unanswered questions about the whole process. This is not healthy for the sport. It is up to the FIA and Formula 1 to clarify whether they have the clarity that is needed.”
Williams counterpart James Vowles said: “I have a responsibility to Williams and if something like this happens here I want to make sure we investigate it properly and have a robust process in place to explain to the outside world what happened.”
“I believe Red Bull has had a strong run and in this situation we have to do that.
“But what I want, as a sport, is for us to be proud that we are built on the foundations of inclusivity, openness and transparency, and all I want in this regard is to make sure that we have the belief and trust that all organizations work for the same standards,” he said.
Horner: Red Bull has never been stronger
Horner spoke for the first time since his acquittal and said he was “delighted” the case was over. He also revealed that the unity between the current Formula 1 world champions has “never been stronger”.
This follows the conclusion of a weeks-long investigation commissioned by Red Bull GmbH following a complaint from a female colleague.
The statement announcing the 50-year-old’s acquittal was issued almost as soon as he landed in Bahrain at 15.30 UK time on Wednesday.
“I’m pleased the process has come to an end,” Horner told Sky Sports News ahead of free practice on Thursday.
“Of course I can’t comment on that, but we’re here to focus more on the race and next season and try to defend both our championships.”
Asked if he thought that was the end of the matter, he added: “I can’t comment to you further. But the process was carried out and concluded.”
Horner, who has been at the helm of Red Bull since the team was founded in 2005, was asked if he had any regrets.
“Once again I cannot comment to you further on this matter, but I am happy to be here in Bahrain and focused on the next season with the team.”
Asked if the team was together, he added: “There has never been more strength within the team.”