Max Verstappen's takes pole in Bahrain despite outburst, Christian Horner texts leaked

Red Bull has faced a challenging period in Bahrain leading up to the opening race of the 2024 F1 season.

The lead-up to Bahrain has been overshadowed by off-track issues, with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner being cleared of allegations of "inappropriate behavior" towards a female colleague by Red Bull Racing's parent company, Red Bull GmbH. However, hundreds of WhatsApp messages purportedly written by Horner have since surfaced, sparking discussions at the Bahrain track.

The leaked texts and images on WhatsApp, which Mirror Sport has had access to, were shared with key figures in the F1 paddock, including FIA president Mohamed ben Sulayem, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, and the other team principals. Horner has issued a statement to once again deny the accusations and maintain his innocence.

His accuser is reportedly upset with Red Bull and feels "crucified" by the handling of the scandal. Horner's wife, Spice Girl Geri, has accompanied him to Bahrain but is said to be feeling "humiliated."

On the racing front, Verstappen is the odds-on favorite to win in Bahrain after securing pole position.

Stay updated with Mirror Sport throughout Saturday for the latest news from Bahrain.

Some more Horner questions

Will the FIA take any action?

It is understood the FIA explored bringing a disrepute charge against Horner – and assessed the legalities of seeking Red Bull to hand over its report – but no action has emerged.

Neither F1, nor its regulator, has commented publicly on the latest allegations. Horner met with both Domenicali and Ben Sulayem on Friday.

And what about Red Bull’s sponsors and partners?

There is thought to be considerable unrest and unease behind the scenes following the latest allegations to hit Horner – but there has been no public comment from Red Bull Racing’s two biggest partners – Ford and Oracle.

Will Horner be on the pit wall for Saturday’s race?

Yes. It is understood Horner remains defiant that he can see out the controversy.

His wife Geri flew to Bahrain and could be trackside on Saturday, while Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns 51 per cent of the Red Bull group, might also be in attendance.

Horner scandal is 'damaging F1' as FIA chief breaks silence

FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem has admitted that the ongoing Christian Horner and Red Bull saga is "damaging the sport".

Ben Sulayem told the Financial Times:

“It’s damaging the sport . . . This is damaging on a human level."

The FIA boss did confirm though that the governing body had no plans to conduct its own investigation at this point as they had not received a formal complaint themselves.

Verstappen comments on Horner

Red Bull’s superstar driver Max Verstappen stopped short of providing his full support for embattled team principal Christian Horner.

“From my side, and, from the mechanics and engineers, we’re fully focused on the car, and fully focused on the weekend which is how it should be and that is what we continue to do."

Appearing to swerve the question about Horner, he added:

“It’s not our business to get involved in that. We are paid to do our job, that is what we are out there doing, and that is what we love doing and that is what I focus on.”

Verstappen was asked again if he still had faith in Horner.

“When I look at how Christian operates within the team he has been an incredible boss so from the performance kind of things you can’t question that.

“I speak to Christian a lot and he is fully committed to the team.

“He is here for the performance, and of course he is a little bit distracted, but we just focus on performance and that is how we all work together.”