Christian Horner is eager for a prompt resolution regarding his role as Red Bull’s team principal. The inquiry into his alleged misconduct is ongoing and his professional future remains uncertain, despite the approaching start of the new Formula One season in a week’s time.

During the second day of F1 testing in Bahrain, Horner addressed the press for the first time since the recent unveiling of the new Red Bull vehicle. In Milton Keynes, Horner strongly asserted his innocence, but in Bahrain, he chose not to comment on whether he should have resigned during the ongoing investigation.

“I am currently involved in a process and am unable to provide any comments on it,” he stated. “While everyone wishes for a quick resolution, I am not authorized to discuss the ongoing process.”

There is currently no specified timeline for the completion of the investigation, which was officially announced on February 5th.

Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull, launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from a female staff member of Red Bull Racing. The complaint accused Horner of displaying controlling behavior. An independent inquiry, conducted by an unnamed English barrister, has extensively interviewed Horner regarding the allegations. Neither Red Bull Racing nor the parent company have provided any updates or information on the ongoing investigation.

On Wednesday the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, called for the investigation to be made transparent and rigorous. On Thursday the McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, reiterated Wolff’s demands and indicated the process was potentially damaging for F1.

He stated that the accusations are extremely grave. Red Bull company is currently conducting an inquiry and we anticipate and trust that it will be dealt with in a completely open manner. As stated by the FIA and Formula One, this matter should be resolved quickly as these are not the kind of headlines that Formula One desires or requires presently.

With only three days of pre-season testing this year before the first race in Bahrain on 2 March, track time has been vital. However, on Thursday some of that crucial running was lost when Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari dislodged a drain cover at turn 11 only two hours into the morning session.

Pieces of debris hit both his Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, as Hamilton was making his inaugural run of the season. The session was halted to fix the damage and ultimately canceled, with Charles Leclerc topping the time charts and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri following closely behind.

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The duration of the second session was increased to five hours, instead of the original four, in order to make up for lost time. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished the day in first place, with a lead of seven-tenths over Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez. However, Sainz was using the softer tyre during his run.

Hamilton finished in third place, trailing Pérez by three-tenths of a second, and managed to complete an impressive 123 laps. It seemed that he was following Mercedes’ strategy of gradually getting their completely redesigned car up to pace, but there are signs that both he and teammate George Russell are feeling much more comfortable with the car’s handling through the corners. This was a notable weakness of their previous car over the last two seasons.

Source: theguardian.com