Christian Horner breaks silence after being cleared of alleged ‘inappropriate behaviour’
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Formula 1’s 2024 season is well underway as the teams prepare for Saturday’s race with the noise surrounding Christian Horner refusing to fade.
Friday’s action in Bahrain saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz top the leaderboard in the third free practice session to set up a Ferrari-Red Bull clash in qualifying. McLaren’s Lando Norris also found some quick pace though the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were unable to maintain their strong showing from Thursday.
In qualifying, Max Verstappen won the battle against Ferrari and finished on pole thanks to an improved lap time of 1:29:179 beating out Charles Leclerc by 0.228 seconds. Hamilton starts in P9 though teammate Russell had a storming final lap to clinch P3 and will be in with a chance of challenging the leaders today. Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso round out the top five.
Elsewhere, Christian Horner drew the media’s attention again after Whatsapps allegedly sent by him to a female colleague were leaked to the press, in what could be an embarrassing development for the Red Bull team principal who had previous been investigated and cleared over alleged ’inappropriate behaviour’.
Follow updates from the Bahrain Grand Prix with The Independent:
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: What time is the race?
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom – and ESPN in the United States.
Highlights of qualifying in the UK will be aired on free-to-air Channel 4 at 7:30pm (GMT) on Friday; the race highlights are at 7:50pm (GMT) on Saturday.
Kieran Jackson2 March 2024 11:40
Guenther Steiner secures new job in F1 after Haas exit
Steiner lost his job at Haas in January after eight seasons leading the American team in Formula 1, with team owner Gene Haas opting for a change with trackside engineering director Ayao Komatsu promoted to team boss.
Yet Steiner, known for his colourful language and entertaining appearances on Netflix’s Drive to Survive, has now found a new job with RTL, who broadcast F1 in Germany.
Steiner will be in the paddock for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend and will attend seven races with RTL.
Mike Jones2 March 2024 11:00
Christian Horner responds after texts allegedly sent to female colleague leaked
The team principal was cleared of “inappropriate behaviour” on Wednesday after a three-week internal probe conducted by an external lawyer, following allegations from a female colleague which were strongly refuted by Horner.
However, just 24 hours later, WhatsApp texts and pictures were leaked from an anonymous source – to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali, the sport’s nine other team principals and members of the media – allegedly showing conversations between Horner and the complainant.
The Independent has seen the leaked material but is unable to verify the authenticity of the content at this stage.
Mike Jones2 March 2024 10:45
Lewis Hamilton gears up for Mercedes farewell but Red Bull rule set to continue
“If Lewis were to leave,” pondered George Russell as he addressed the prospect of Hamilton joining Ferrari. “That would put Mercedes in a tricky spot. It would almost look like he’s lost faith in the team.”
Russell was speaking in an episode of Netflix’s newly-released Drive to Survive series – a chapter the Mercedes’ PR machine envisaged would celebrate Hamilton’s decision to stay with them.
Hamilton, after all, had signed a two-year contract extension last August to remain with the Silver Arrows until the end of 2025.
Mike Jones2 March 2024 10:30
Christian Horner allegations timeline: How Red Bull team principal became embroiled in scandal
Christian Horner will remain in his role as Red Bull F1 team principal after an investigation into allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” made by a female colleague was dismissed.
A statement from Red Bull confirmed Horner has been cleared of all charges ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Horner emphatically denied the claims.
Here is a timeline of how the allegations have played out:
Mike Jones2 March 2024 10:15
F1 2024 season predictions: World champion, biggest shock, and who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?
Another Formula One off season has come and gone – with its fair share of dramatic stories – but now we are set to go racing once again.
This Saturday’s season opener in Bahrain is the first of a record-breaking 24 races in 2024, which sees the season stretch from Bahrain GP practice on 29 February to the finale in Abu Dhabi on 8 December.
Max Verstappen is the unquestionable favourite to claim his fourth straight world championship this year, with Red Bull winning 21 out of 22 races last year and the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren all playing catch up.
But will there be a surprise in store? Can anyone make the jump up into the midfield contenders? And how will a fascinating driver market develop throughout the year?
Mike Jones2 March 2024 10:00
What is the race schedule?
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom – and ESPN in the United States.
Highlights of qualifying in the UK will be aired on free-to-air Channel 4 at 7:30pm (GMT) on Friday; the race highlights are at 7:50pm (GMT) on Saturday.
Mike Jones2 March 2024 09:45
F1 grid: Starting positions for Bahrain Grand Prix
What is the starting grid?
Mike Jones2 March 2024 09:30
George Russell after qualifying third:
“Max is still some way out in front…
“Huge amount of work. Time will tell tomorrow if we’ve made a big step forward, I think it will be a close fight between everybody other than Max!
“Red Bull are doing such a strong job. If there’s an opportunity to take the lead we’ll go for it, but really it’s about the battle for second.”
Mike Jones2 March 2024 09:15
