Horner meets with FIA, F1 bosses in Bahrain

SAKHIR, Bahrain — Christian Horner remained the centre of attention ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, visiting Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem separately on Friday to discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding him.

On Wednesday, Horner was cleared of misconduct by Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, after an investigation following a complaint of inappropriate behaviour made by a woman employed by the F1 team.

In a remarkable turn of events, files purportedly related to the investigation were widely distributed to media outlets on Thursday.

The authenticity of the files, which came from a generic email account, has not been verified by ESPN.

The Horner situation has cast a dark cloud over Red Bull’s preparations for the new season, with the team widely regarded as favourites going into the campaign.

Horner dismissed “anonymous speculation” after the leak and was present in the paddock on Friday as normal.

After the final practice session of the week, he visited Domenicali and then Ben Sulayem in quick succession.

Earlier in the day, Horner and Ben Sulayem had greeted each other in front of Red Bull’s garage and in full view of F1’s TV broadcast cameras.

Neither F1 or the FIA has commented since Thursday’s file leak, although sources have told ESPN there is growing pressure from other teams for both bodies to address the matter, given the way the Horner story has become global news.