Red Bull boss Horner wants probe over ‘as soon as possible’

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Thursday he hoped an investigation into his conduct by his team's parent company, Red Bull GmbH, would be resolved quickly.

Horner was accused by a member of the Red Bull Formula One team of controlling his behavior and sending inappropriate text messages. Horner has been the subject of an investigation by an independent lawyer since early February.

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No timetable was given for the resolution of the investigation and Horner, who has denied the allegations against him, has continued in his role as team boss while it continues.

Formula 1 issued a statement last weekend calling for clarification on the matter “as soon as possible”, while rival team principal Toto Wolff said the investigation needed to be sufficiently rigorous.

Speaking at a press conference during this week's pre-season testing in Bahrain, Horner said: “I'm really sorry, but I can't comment on the process or the timetable.

“I think everyone would like a conclusion as quickly as possible, but I'm really not at liberty to talk about the process.”

At the same press conference on Thursday, McLaren team principal Zak Brown said the results of the investigation needed to be “transparent” for the good of the sport.

“The allegations are extremely serious,” Brown said. “McLaren and all the men and women who work at McLaren uphold the highest standards, diversity, equality and inclusion are extremely important to us, our partners, to everyone in Formula 1.

“The Red Bull company, it seems, has launched an investigation. All we hope and assume is that this will be handled very transparently, as the FIA ​​and Formula 1 have said. They need to deal with it quickly because I don't believe this information is being taken into account. This is the kind of headline that F1 wants or needs at the moment.”

The first race of the new Formula 1 season will take place on March 2.