Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has dismissed the notion of pressuring Formula 1 and the FIA following Red Bull’s investigation into Christian Horner, stating that doing so would diminish the issue to a power struggle among teams.
Red Bull Racing’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, recently completed an internal probe into team director Christian Horner’s conduct, with Horner denying all allegations and Red Bull ultimately exonerating him of any wrongdoing.
Transparency Advocated, Boundaries Respected
However, in the wake of Red Bull’s final statement, Wolff and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown have called for greater transparency regarding the investigation, which Formula 1 and the FIA have yet to comment on.
When asked whether teams could seek to exert influence and pursue clarity, Wolff believes there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
“As a team, if we go beyond what we’ve said, it appears like a battle between Formula 1 competitors. And I don’t want to reduce this issue to that level. It’s a much larger issue that deserves more room, and I don’t want to harm the subject by turning it into an intra-team battle, because it’s not.”
“It’s up to the FIA or legal authorities to look into this; it’s out of the teams’ control.”
Wolff Urges Sportsmanship
When questioned on how detrimental this situation could be for the sport, Wolff revisited the belief that questioning Horner’s conduct would merely create the impression “that the guy from Mercedes or McLaren wants Red Bull’s guy out.”
“As I’ve said before, I think the moment I start and continue to question how this was handled, I’m not doing any good for the entire issue. Because then it could be seen simply as a power struggle within F1.”
“That’s why I think it’s not in the teams’ hands. It’s a much larger topic. I don’t want to downplay the situation by giving the impression that the guy from Mercedes or McLaren wants Red Bull’s guy out.”
“I think we’ll see where this leads us in the coming days, and I really hope that the governing body, the sanctioning body, the commercial rights holder, will set the compass straight.”
“Managing the situation is very critical for F1,” he admits.
“So, it’s not up to the competitors to act; we just have to look at what we can do to optimize all these issues – equality and diversity – and that’s what we’re doing.”
“I’m very proud that we’re at the forefront in this area.”
“To judge another person and another team, that’s for the governing body to do. It’s in their hands.”
Horner Wolff Advocates Governance. Horner Wolff Advocates Governance
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