Horner with Red Bull for F1 testing despite ongoing investigation

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Team principal Christian Horner was with Red Bull as Formula 1 preseason testing began Wednesday even as he faces an ongoing investigation by the team's parent company into an alleged claim of misconduct.

Horner was alongside the team's chief technology officer, car designer Adrian Newey, as Max Verstappen drove the team's new car at the start of Wednesday's morning session. It is the start of the Dutch driver's campaign for a fourth consecutive world title.

The Red Bull parent company said Feb. 5 it was investigating allegations of misconduct toward a team employee. Horner denies any wrongdoing and has continued in his role as team principal during the investigation.

On the track, Red Bull still had the fastest car in Wednesday's first session. Max Verstappen set the pace with a time that was 0.699 seconds faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, and also overtook his rival on track near the end of the session.

Williams was the only team with obvious reliability issues as Alex Albon's car stopped on the track with a technical fault.

There are three days of preseason testing from Wednesday through Friday ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at the same venue next week.

Each day is split into two sessions, and teams can only have one driver on track in each. That meant Lewis Hamilton, who is leaving Mercedes at the end of the year to join Ferrari, was sitting out the first day as his teammate George Russell drove.

McLaren driver Lando Norris said he would wear a helmet with the design used by 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran, who died in December. De Ferran was McLaren's sporting director when Norris first raced in F1 in 2019 and had more recently been an adviser to the team.

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