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Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner's appearance as part of the Red Bull RB20 launch in Milton Keynes marked the first time he's faced the assembled media since the news he had been placed under investigation by the team's parent company.
The specific causes and any initial findings of the investigation remain strictly confidential, so the scope of questions and answers was limited - but the topic was still a big part of Horner's eight-minute session.
Here are the answers F1's longest-running team boss gave pertaining to the current situation, which remains unresolved with just over two weeks until the start of the first race of the 2024 season.
Q. You are coming off the back off a record-breaking season but obviously there is stuff going on in the background, a lot of speculation. Is it a distraction, is there a kind of uncertainty hanging over this team going into this season?
Christian Horner: Inevitably there has been a distraction but the team are very together and everybody’s focused on the season ahead, so it’s been very much business as normal. The support has been fantastic.
Q. You personally, how do you feel? Is it a distraction for you?
CH: Obviously my focus is very much on the season ahead. It has been business as normal. Obviously there is an investigation that I’m obviously complying and working with fully.
So- but that is very much going on in the background whilst preparing for the season ahead.
Q. The first race weekend is just in two weeks today. You mentioned distractions earlier, do you think it will affect the team in any way if things are not finalised by then, when we go racing?
CH: The team are gearing up for the season ahead, and we're in good shape, we're fully focused on going racing, looking forward to being in Bahrain next week and seeing the RB20 run, and the only thing that focuses everybody's attention is the car. We're very united and together in that focus.
Q. We saw that long build-up in the introduction to the launch, all the success that you've taken the team through - for you personally it must be a concern?
CH: My focus is very much on the year ahead and the racing ahead of us. I think the whole team is tremendously proud of what we've achieved in the last 19 seasons, but it's always what lies ahead of you rather than what is behind you, but with great pride in what we've done in 19 years as we come into our 20th season.
There's some big moments, some highs, some real highs, a few lows in there, but some outstanding performances.
Q. You mentioned that the team is 'united'. Is the entire organisation united? Because we're reading the speculation and rumours as well, that there's this divide with the Austrian camp on one side, Helmut [Marko] on that side as well, and Red Bull Racing on the other side of that divide.
CH: We're very united. We've always had tremendous support from the shareholders since Dietrich's [Red Bull founder Mateschitz] passing. The shareholders have been incredibly supportive. And you can see the level of investment that there is on the campus here, with [Red Bull] Powertrains, with the future in Formula 1. We're one team.
Q. Operationally for you, while this process is ongoing, is everything as it was before?
CH: Business as normal.
