Toto Wolff Urges F1 to Take Christian Horner Case “Very Seriously” by Highlighting “Reputation Issues”

Since 5th February the world of Formula 1 has been consumed by the Christian Horner controversy. Red Bull Racing’s most loyal servant is facing the trial of his life for his alleged inappropriate actions toward a female employee. The head office intervened and took control of the matter by hiring an outside legal aid to launch an investigation for a just resolution. It’s been 23 days since and the F1 season opener is right around the corner with no developments despite Horner giving his account on 9th Feb. As deliberations continue within the Red Bull camp, Horner’s old foe, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, has broken his silence on the matter, demanding strict actions no matter the outcome of the investigation.

Wolff and Horner have been locking horns since 2013 and share a bittersweet relationship. However, keeping the rivalry aside, the Mercedes boss talked about the controversy and demanded F1 take things “very seriously” as such an incident can hamper not only Horner but the entire sport’s reputation, especially with their recent initiative to make the sport more inclusive.

“We have had no other topic than this matter for two weeks. Formula 1 has a reputation issue, because we are a sport in which there are mainly men in management positions and in the car, and we want to do more. We want more women, we want to have more diversity in this sport, we want to be transparent,” highlighted Wolff in an interview with ORF as quoted by Motorsport-Total. (Translated via Google)

“This also includes taking things like this very, very seriously. And we do that, and we hope that our competitor Red Bull sees it the same way. And I am convinced that there will be a result. If there is something then it will be sanctioned. And if that wasn’t the case, then there will be another solution,” he added.

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Wolff and everyone else in the F1 world are patiently waiting for new developments and the outcome of the investigation. However, this drawn-out process is giving birth to new speculations every day and we don’t know what to believe. However, the fact remains that, “they’re just not great for Formula 1 at the moment.”

However, the Red Bull boss is sticking by his stance on the matter despite the delay and speculations.

Christian Horner sticks by his stance amidst the ongoing investigation

The Brit was quick to comment to deny all accusations of any wrongdoing toward an employee when the news first hit the shelves. Since then he has been subjected to an investigation, a one-on-one deposition, and countless headlines speculating on his actions and future. However, despite all that, he has not gone into hiding and has been part of all pre-season Red Bull activities. In fact, he reiterated his stance on the matter.

He said, “No. It’s business as usual, there obviously is a process. Obviously, I fully deny any accusations that have been made against me but of course, I’ll work with that process, which I hope is concluded in the near future.” 

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The Brit is confident and not letting the accusation come in the way of his duties as the boss. This makes one wonder if there is any truth in the accusations or just a ploy to discredit his authority in the team amidst the ongoing power struggle since Dietrich Mateschitz’s demise. As Wolff said, whatever the case may be, it’s all about the reputation and not just of Horner but the entire sport.