Red Bull principal Christian Horner dismissed «anonymous speculation» after files purportedly related to his misconduct investigation were widely distributed on Thursday, two days before his team opens its bid for a fourth consecutive Formula One drivers' championship.
His statement was forced by a stunning off-track development: As the second practice was going on for the Bahrain Grand Prix, files were emailed to nearly 200 people in the F1 paddock, including Liberty Media, F1, the FIA, the other nine team principals and multiple media outlets.
The authenticity of the files has not been verified by ESPN or The Associated Press; the files came from a generic email account.
The files were sent one day after the team's parent company dismissed a complaint of alleged misconduct by Horner toward a team employee.