Toto Wolff has accused Red Bull of hiding information about the Christian Horner sexting scandal and criticized them for a “confusing” communications strategy.
The Mercedes boss also revealed he was open to a move for legendary Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey after news emerged that Horner could oust him.
Horner has been embroiled in scandal following allegations of “inappropriate behavior” by a female employee ahead of the 2024 season, although an internal investigation cleared him.
Hundreds of messages allegedly from Horner (some of a sexual nature) were spread to the media and F1 titans, but Red Bull has said he will not be sacked after a shareholders meeting.
Wolff said Osterreich: ‘From the outside, we encountered a lot of drama. But for a team like Red Bull, a situation like this is not good.
Toto Wolff criticized Red Bull for potentially hiding information about Christian Horner scandal
He also revealed that he was open to a move for legendary Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey.
‘Not saying everything only makes it more interesting, which generates more questions, more stories, more speculation.
‘But there is a real story behind it, and it is the most important one: why did a woman who felt uncomfortable go to Human Resources? Why hasn’t anything been said about this yet?
‘There is also an information strategy that from the outside seems a bit confusing. In general, I think Austrians are professional, while in England they try to keep everything small, but that is no longer possible nowadays.”
Although Red Bull cleared him of the accusations, Horner’s future was in question. serious danger after what appeared to be intimate WhatsApp exchanges with a colleague were sent to Formula One’s most influential figures.
The explosive email contained 79 documents, including hundreds of messages, many of them sexual in nature.
The anonymous sender copied prominent figures in the sport, including FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali, as well as accredited media gathered in Bahrain for the opening race of the season plagued by scandals.
Amid the scandal, a rift has allegedly developed between Horner and Newey, the designer who has helped Red Bull win 13 titles since 2006. Horner could reportedly try to oust him from the F1 champions.
Horner refused to rule out a move for Newey, saying: “Anything is always possible on this crazy carousel.” He wouldn’t rule anything out. But we have an excellent team of technicians that I feel comfortable with, even if that is not reflected in the lap time at the moment.”
Horner becomes embroiled in a sexting scandal after a female employee accused him of “inappropriate behavior” and messages purportedly from him were published.
Horner (right) is reportedly looking to force Adrian Newey (left) to leave Red Bull’s F1 team.
This comes after his claim that he would “love” for Max Verstappen to join the Silver Arrows. Sources have told Mail Sport’s Jonathan McEvoy that Verstappen could even leave Red Bull mid-season, such is his and his father’s displeasure at the outrage engulfing Horner.
Seeing Verstappen and Newey leave would be a monumental blow to Red Bull’s stable of excellence, but at least they can probably count on an ally to support them.
Last week, its future engine supplier from 2026, Ford, appeared to commit its future to the team by sponsoring the team’s F1 Academy program.
Previously, Ford was very vocal, stating that they expected “high standards of behavior and integrity,” before remaining silent on the Horner controversy.
Becoming the title sponsor of the Red Bull-backed Academy programme, an all-female racing series designed to support Formula 1, appears to show its commitment to the team.
And Helmut Marko, Verstappen’s mentor, said Telegraaf that the situation is more pleasant than is reported, despite claims that there was an “open war” between him and Horner.
Max Verstappen’s mentor Helmut Marko (left) has played down claims that a break-up could separate him and Horner.
The team’s future engine supplier, Ford, last week became the title sponsor of the Red Bull-backed F1 Academy programme.
He said: “Many things have become clearer.”
When asked if he could continue working with Horner, he said: “We’ve been doing it for 19 years now, so why not?”
“However, there are still some issues that need to be resolved.”