Wolff: Red Bull Horner information strategy a bit confusing

A civil war at Red Bull has been averted for now it seems, after a month in which Horner has been in the firing line for a "sex texts" scandal with a team colleague. That triggered an investigation into his alleged "inappropriate behaviour" that rapidly spawned a non-stop barrage of headlines.

Apart from being RBR F1 boss, Horner is also married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell which makes the whole saga fine fodder for the British media who love to big-up their A-Listers but are quick to put the boot in when they transgress.

The Horners paraded themselves perhaps a tad too aggressively in the Jeddah F1 paddock, making as if all was normal with their showing of overt affection as if unaffected by the 'storm' over their heads.

In Horner's case, the Brit media are kicking the guy when he is almost down, falling maybe. But he remains team boss despite a cabal, apparently influenced by Jos Verstappen - who outright said Horner is the problem at Red Bull, playing the victim and should be ousted.

Emergency meetings between the Red Bull bigwigs during and after the Saudi Grand Prix weekend calmed the waters but, the aggrieved female's appeal is set to thrust the whole saga in the limelight.

As for kicking a man when he is all but grounded, of the sordid saga at Red Bull and his sparring partner Horner, Wolff could not resist putting in another boot when he told OE24: "From the outside we're treated to a great deal of drama. But a situation like this isn't great for a team like Red Bull."

Asked if he was surprised by the turns that the Horner affair was taking, The Mercedes boss replied: "No, because we live in a very transparent world. Not saying something only makes it more interesting: This leads to more questions, more stories, and more speculation.

"There is the real story in the background, namely the really important topic. Why did a woman who felt uncomfortable go to HR? Why hasn't anyone talked about this yet? In addition, there is an information strategy that looks a bit confusing from the outside," reckoned Wolff.

Of course, the upheaval at Red Bull showed a clear division within the team that no one knew existed until the knives came out. With Verstappen senior central to accusations against Horner, the future of his lad Max is the subject of wild speculation.

Not only the triple F1 World Champion's future with the team is at risk but, perhaps even more crucially what design Adrian Newey makes of the shenanigans and what th4e future holds for the team amid reports Horner could be ousted as RBR TP before Australia.

When asked about the future of Red Bull, Wolff replied somewhat cryptically: "I'm just saying: If Horner stays there are exciting scenarios. Ultimately it's about Horner's personality. But as I said: I only read what happens internally at Red Bull in the media."

Meanwhile, as Wolff pours scorn on his rivals he could be reminded that after two rounds of the 2024 F1 World Championship, despite the mindless soap-opera Red Bull have 87 points, more than triple the amount Mercedes have with their 26 points. Karma can be a bitch...