Red Bull turmoil is ‘damaging’ F1, says boss of governing body
Comments by Mohammed Ben Sulayem come after email leak of messages involving Christian Horner
The president of the body that governs Formula One has warned that the furore over Red Bull Racing chief Christian Horner is “damaging” the sport, following allegations of inappropriate conduct by the British team boss.
Speaking on Friday after meeting Horner, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, acknowledged the impact of the claims about the Red Bull team boss’s behaviour towards a female colleague.
“It’s damaging the sport . . . This is damaging on a human level,” Ben Sulayem told the Financial Times.
But he added that the governing body currently had no plans to conduct its own investigation because it had not received a formal complaint itself.
Red Bull said on Wednesday that a complaint against Horner had been dismissed following a barrister-led investigation into the allegations, which Horner repeatedly denied.
A day later, a cache of messages was anonymously sent to Ben Sulayem, F1 chief Stefano Domenicali, Toto Wolff, the boss of rival F1 team Mercedes, and other leading figures in motorsport. It contained screenshots of messages allegedly exchanged between Horner and the woman whose complaint had triggered the investigation.
Responding to questions about the email, Horner said he would not comment on “anonymous speculation” and reiterated that he had “always denied the allegations”.
“I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully co-operated with it every step of the way,” he said. “It was a thorough and fair investigation, conducted by an independent specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.”
Horner and Ben Sulayem met in Bahrain on Friday, a day before Red Bull begins the defence of its constructors’ and drivers’ titles in the Middle Eastern island state.
Ben Sulayem declined to comment on what the two men discussed but said a barrister had undertaken a “thorough investigation” on behalf of Red Bull.
The FIA president added that it was vital to “protect our sport from all of this”.
“It is the beginning of the season. F1 is becoming so popular,” he said. “We just need to enjoy the beginning of the season. Look at the competition. Why do we overshadow it with negativity?”
The Emirati former rally driver, who has led the FIA since his election in December 2021, cautioned that the governing body “cannot jump the gun” but that it had to “look into any complaint that comes through our compliance officer”.
Formula One, which is owned by US group Liberty Media, and Ben Sulayem’s FIA are discussing the situation, according to people with knowledge of the matter. F1 and the FIA declined to comment.
The investigation has drawn scrutiny from rival teams and from US automaker Ford, which is planning to re-enter F1 in 2026 through a partnership with Red Bull. The US car company, which had previously called for a transparent and rapid investigation, declined to comment on the latest allegations.
Asked about the cache, Red Bull said it would be inappropriate to comment on “a private matter between Mr Horner and another”. Red Bull Racing, the F1 team owned by the Austrian energy drinks group, declined to comment.
Red Bull has not published the investigation report, adding that the complainant can still appeal against its decision not to pursue the matter.
Horner, 50, has led Red Bull Racing since early 2005, shortly after the late Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of the drinks company, bought the F1 team.
The F1 team chief, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has been one of the stars of the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive, which has been credited with boosting the popularity of the sport.
He has led Red Bull to six constructors’ championships — which measure the performance of the entire team — and seven drivers’ titles.