Though not all of the major talking points from the Bahrain Grand Prix pertaining to on-track concerns have been resolved, the first day of track action in Formula One 2024 is now complete.
While Mercedes’ performance on Thursday stunned both the F1 paddock and itself, Red Bull was unable to fully concentrate on the events on the track as team manager Christian Horner released a statement regarding an email leak connected to the recently concluded Red Bull investigation.
Statement from Christian Horner following the email leak
An email leak that surfaced during the second practice hour in Bahrain claimed to contain information that prompted the internal Red Bull GmbH inquiry that exonerated Red Bull Racing team principal Horner of any wrongdoing.
Since then, Horner has given a personal statement to the media in which he reiterates his denial of the accusations while noting that he would not comment on “anonymous speculation.”
Hamilton is “shocked,” but he worries that Mercedes is “nowhere near.” Few people anticipated Mercedes to finish first and second in Bahrain, but they achieved just that in the first practice session, with Hamilton setting the fastest time two tenths faster than teammate George Russell.
Though Hamilton acknowledged that the outcome was “shocking,” he believes Mercedes is “nowhere near” Red Bull in terms of race performance and assessed Mercedes’ chances for the remainder of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
See also: Lewis Hamilton issues a “nowhere near” caution to Red Bull following a “shock” Mercedes 1-2.
Max Verstappen provides play-by-engine indications.
The three-time world champion and favorite to win the F1 championship, Max Verstappen, only finished P6, half a second behind than the lead.
He did, however, imply that some competitors had jumped the gun on Red Bull by stepping up their engines, thus he is “not worried about the gap to P1.”
Call for transparency from Toto Wolff about “basic” Christian Horner inquiry
Red Bull’s 89-word statement, which was released following their inquiry into Horner’s alleged inappropriate behavior, was deemed excessively simplistic by Mercedes team manager Wolff.
Speaking on the subject in Bahrain to the media, notably PlanetF1.com, Wolff demanded greater “transparency.”
See also: Following the release of the “basic” Christian Horner probe statement, Toto Wolff demands further transparency.
Rumors of an Audi takeover by Sauber surface.
Although it has long been expected that part-ownership of Sauber Motorsport will aid Audi’s F1 2026 entry, might Audi instead be plotting a full-scale takeover attempt of Sauber? Audi is now busy getting ready for their F1 2026 entry.
The rumors are neither confirmed nor denied by Sauber themselves.
A representative for the team told PlanetF1.com, “We don’t comment on speculation and we don’t offer comments on the shareholder structure of the team.”
