Lewis Hamilton had strong words Christian Horner’s misconduct scandal by declaring that it doesn’t look good from the outside, and that Formula 1 must improve and stick to its values regarding the protection of women within the sport.
The Mercedes driver, known for his willingness to be a voice for minority groups within the community, also added that the scandal has not been handled well by Red Bull GmbH, who concluded an investigation into coercive and controlling behaviour against Horner by an ex-employee on February 28.
The news had been public since February 5 when the holding company for the F1 team announced the investigation into the 50-year-old, who denied the allegations, whilst an external lawyer was hired to manage the probe.
Then 23 days later, Red Bull GmbH suddenly announced that he was cleared and the “grievance has been dismissed” and that they would not be making any further comment on the matter. The statement was criticised by Toto Wolff and Zak Brown for lacking transparency on the matter.
Then, less than 24 hours later, on February 29, a Google Drive containing alleged WhatsApp chats was leaked to over 100 journalists and senior F1 figures breathing life back into the storm that is still raging on, with Hamilton now adding his voice to the growing tide of pressure against the Red Bull team principal.
“As someone who loves the sport, it’s definitely disappointing to see what’s going on right now,” Hamilton said to media at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP. “It doesn’t look good from the outside world looking in.
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“I think it’s a really, really important time for the sport to really show and stick to their values, holding ourselves accountable for our actions, and it’s a really pivotal moment for the sport in terms of what we project to the world, and how it’s handled.”
Hamilton slams the lack of transparency
As mentioned earlier, two team principals have called out the Austrian organization for their secrecy and lack of effective communication that has left outsiders still wondering what exactly happened between Horner and the team principal.
And, at the time of writing, Red Bull have failed to address the leaks and Horner has refused to comment beyond professing how own innocence. The only figure connected to Red Bull to have really spoken about it is Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, who is not an official representative.
“It’s not been handled very well to this point,” Hamilton added to the press at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. “I think transparency is really key and I’m really hoping to see some progress moving forwards.
“But, I hope it’s not a year that continues to go on with this, it highlights some of the issues we also have within sport.
“When we’re talking about diversity inclusion that includes gender, for example, making people feel comfortable in this environment is key, and it’s clearly not the case.”
