Christian Horner latest: Red Bull team principal to return to paddock after alleged text messages and photos leaked

Christian Horner, as we have already mentioned, has continued to deny the allegations made against him since they first emerged.

Their rivals, however, have called on the sport’s governing body to demand “more transparency” from Red Bull.

Toto Wolff is among those calling for more information, as well as the opportunity to “peek behind the curtain.”

I just read the statement, which was pretty basic. My personal opinion is that we can’t really look behind the curtain.

There is a lady in an organization who spoke to Human Resources and said there was a problem and it was investigated and yesterday the sport received the message that everything is fine, we looked at it.

See the story below for more details on this.

So it wasn’t Max Verstappen’s top-notch performance yesterday as he admits he struggled to find the “sweet spot” on the track.

He seemed relaxed but insisted the team needs to “make sure” they are fit to fight today.

He predicts a close qualification, which would certainly be a welcome start to the season!

Take a look at what the champion had to say below.

And to get the best seat in the house for Hamilton’s practice performance, you can check out the link below.

It’s truly amazing footage – you can practically feel the G-forces as he sends it into corners.

Hamilton, however, did not get carried away (seven world titles and 103 race victories are enough for that) and stated that Mercedes was “there or there.”

However, the disturbing thing is that he still doesn’t see a way to overtake current champion Max Verstappen.

I think we’ll be in the mix. I think it’s too early to say, but I think we are at that point with Ferrari and maybe with Aston (Martin) and McLaren. I don’t know exactly where we meet those guys, but we’re close to them, so it’ll be close.

It’s been a good battle with us, I think if Max is ahead he will drift like he has for the last few years.

And this is what Hamilton himself had to say about yesterday’s performances…

(In) FP1, (we) were surprised. It was very, very windy this morning, so I think it was a really difficult session for everyone. The track was very different compared to practice (during preseason testing) last week. Otherwise we felt good, but we didn’t really know where we were with the C2 tire, and then in this session, (with) the car, we made some improvements from the session.

Again I don’t understand, it’s a shock to see us where we are. We’ll accept it for now, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We need to keep our heads down and keep working on the set-up. I think our long-term pace is nowhere near that of the Red Bulls, for example, and I think we were much closer, so we have work to do there.

Now back to the real racing…

With all the misplaced reports that have emerged in recent weeks, it has certainly been a relief to be able to take some action on this.

And perhaps there was a surprise result with a Mercedes double!

Of course, the usual caveats apply – you know, something like “it’s just practice” or “wait and see what happens in the rankings” and the like – but it sure is encouraging news for the Silver Arrows!

Throughout the investigation, Horner has attended all the events leading up to tomorrow’s first race of the season.

From testing to practice, Horner has continued to take a seat trackside and guide his team through their paces.

He returned to the paddock on Thursday morning but is also believed to be fighting to save his nine-year marriage to former Spice Girl Geri, as JONATHAN McEVOY writes.

You can read more about that in the story linked here.

According to Sky Sports, FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali will meet to discuss the alleged leaks.

The outlet also reports that some within the sport believe an FIA investigation could be launched.

We will provide you with more information on this as it develops.

Horner has continued to deny the allegations and maintained his stance yesterday despite the alleged evidence that emerged.

The alleged evidence was believed to have been sent to various accredited media figures, journalists, pit bosses and the FIA ​​itself.

He told the media yesterday that he is focused on next season after it emerged that he had been cleared by the investigation, and spoke of how united his team remains.

Here’s a look at his interview after it emerged he had been acquitted.

So, to the crux of the matter.

Christian Horner had faced accusations of “inappropriate behaviour” following allegations made by a female colleague, before an investigation cleared the Red Bull boss.

However, a series of messages between Horner and the employee were leaked yesterday, plunging the 50-year-old’s future in the sport into a new crisis.

As JONATHAN McEVOY writes: The explosive email contained 79 documents, including hundreds of messages, many of them sexual in nature.

Read more about that story at the link below.

Of course, we’ll go into more detail shortly, but for those looking for an update on everything that’s been happening in Formula One over the past few days, why not check out Jonathan McEvoy’s POLE POSITION column?

Come see Hamilton’s practice performances and stay for fashion tips from Crown Prince Salman.

You can consult it in the following link.

Good morning everyone and welcome to Mail Sport’s Formula One live blog, where we’ll be bringing you the latest updates in and around the paddock today ahead of tonight’s qualifying.

From the current situation surrounding Christian Horner to yesterday’s training, there is a lot to talk about throughout the day before the first qualifying of the season in Bahrain.

And that’s not to mention perhaps the most important update: the official opening titles.

Stay with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest news on all things F1!