In recent weeks,
Christian Horner has dominated the storylines in F1. On Friday, a meeting took place between Horner and Mohamed Ben Sulayem. The
FIA president has responded to the
Financial Times about the chaos surrounding Horner.
Horner left his spot at the pit wall during the final free practice session to
attend a meeting with FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem. What exactly the two discussed is unknown. Horner did return to his position at the pit wall later in free practice.
The Brit was accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a female
Red Bull Racing employee. On Wednesday, the outcome of the investigation was announced, which showed that
Max Verstappen's team boss was innocent. Then, on Thursday, a file was forwarded to
Formula 1, the FIA, other team bosses and the media, which contained alleged WhatsApp conversations relating to the case.
Ben Sulayem responds to Horner's investigation
Meanwhile, the
FIA president has responded to all the commotion surrounding Horner in recent weeks. He is not happy with all the fuss:
"It’s damaging the sport . . . This is damaging on a human level".Horner said: "I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully co-operated with it every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation, conducted by an independent specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season."
Ben Sulayem just wants to enjoy the start of 2024 F1 season
So after the investigation surrounding Horner was completed and he was declared innocent by the lawyer, the Whatsapp conversations were circulated through the
Formula 1 paddock. Whether these are actually real is not known.
Ben Sulayem is not at all keen on the negativity surrounding the sport at the moment:
"It is the beginning of the season. F1 is becoming so popular. We just need to enjoy the beginning of the season. Look at the competition. Why do we overshadow it with negativity?"