Toto Wolff stated that senior Formula One officials had a responsibility to set an example for others, and he asked for a transparent probe into Christian Horner’s alleged “inappropriate behavior” against a female colleague.
Being the first prominent F1 executive to address the accusations made against his Red Bull counterpart since they were made public on February 5th, Wolff is the team principal for Mercedes.
Related: Horner is convinced he will stay at Red Bull despite questions, saying, “I built this team.”
On the first day of preseason testing, Wolff was the only one of five team principals in attendance who was willing to talk about the probe and advocated for it to be made public as a matter that was significant to them.
“A lot of things are going on and a lot of speculation has been happening over the past few weeks,” stated Wolff, who has a heated rivalry with Horner due to their teams’ constant competition for the drivers’ and constructors’ crowns.
What matters is that the procedure be rigorous. I believe that if Red Bull conducts its independent investigation in a proper and transparent manner, it is something we should look into.
“F1 and the teams are committed to promoting inclusion, equality, fairness, and diversity. We don’t just talk about these values; we actually live them every single day. We are holding ourselves to these standards. We are one of the most significant sports in the world, a worldwide sport, and role models. This goes beyond a team problem. It affects Formula One as a whole.
Following receipt of the complaint, Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, began looking into Horner. Although the complainant has not been named, it is known that Horner is accused of acting in a way that has been called “controlling.”
Horner has consistently insisted he will firmly defend his position and denied there is any validity to the accusations. The 50-year-old was clear in declaring his innocence and that he had no plans to step down at the unveiling of the new RB20 car last week. He declared, “I have built this team and I am completely committed to it. I have been here since the beginning.”