Helmut Marko has admitted he was ‘flabbergasted’ by the reported leak of alleged WhatsApp messages and photos between Christian Horner and a female employee.
The Red Bull adviser, who flew with the team principal to the Bahrain Grand Prix, said he had not seen the documents that appeared from an anonymous source on Thursday.
Red Bull revealed on Wednesday that, after three-week internal investigation conducted by a KC lawyer, the complaint of ‘coercive’ behaviour against Horner by a female employee has been dismissed.
Christian Horner has been the subject of an internal investigation at Red Bull
Yet the next day at about 3pm GMT, files which purported to show Horner's messages were sent to 149 accounts up and down the F1 paddock, including team principals and F1 bosses.
The team principal’s lawyers have issued a legal letter attempting to keep news outlets from sharing the alleged messages. Horner has repeatedly denied the allegations and, prior to the files’ release, said he was ‘pleased’ that the investigation had been wrapped up.
On Thursday night, as the paddock reeled from the release of the files, Horner said in a statement: “I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations. I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully co-operated with it every step of the way.
Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have worked together for many years
“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.”
Now, Marko has confessed his surprise at the release of the documents. He told Bild: "I am flabbergasted and surprised that the documents have been leaked. I've never seen them myself."
Red Bull criticised for lack of transparency
Other team principals have claimed that Red Bull needs to show more transparency over the allegations and how they were looked into, after the team refused to release details of its investigation.
Zak Brown, the McLaren team principal, said that the FIA should conduct an external inquiry into the issue, and Toto Wolff, of Mercedes, said the statement Red Bull released on the matter was ‘pretty basic’.
Toto Wolff has criticised Red Bull for a lack of transparency
He said in Bahrain: "I just read the statement which was pretty basic, and my personal opinion is that we can't look behind the curtain.
"At the end of the day, there is a lady in an organisation that has spoken to HR and said there was an issue, and it was investigated.
"Yesterday, the sport received the message that it was 'all fine, we have looked at it' and I believe that as a global sport on such critical topics, it needs more transparency.”
In the official statement after the investigation concluded, a Red Bull spokesman said: "The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
"The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."
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