What happens next?

The FIA’s options in the Horner case

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner (left) in conversation with FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem.

(Bild: APA/AFP/ANDREJ ISAKOVIC)

FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem and FOM boss Stefano Domenicali met with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner on Friday on the sidelines of the final training session. There is no information yet about the outcome of the meeting. But what options would the FIA have?

If the FIA comes to the conclusion that it needs to intervene, it could primarily demand to see the results of the independent investigations. However, Red Bull would not be forced to comply with this request, citing the privacy of the persons involved.

If it is not explained that it is an internal team matter and that this has no impact on the racing series and other teams, further mechanisms would be available.

Is there a breach of the rules?
The FIA could, for example, involve the Ethics and Compliance Department. This would then have to investigate whether there has been a breach of the FIA's International Sporting Code. 

Article 12.2.1.c could apply here, which states that a violation has occurred if an actor "acts fraudulently or harms the interests of competition or the interests of motor sport in general with his conduct". This is often a matter of interpretation, but it could well become an argument in the Horner case.

Meanwhile, Horner wants to concentrate on the race.

(Bild: APA/AFP/ANDREJ ISAKOVIC)

In a further paragraph of the article, it also states that an infringement has occurred if "words, actions or writings that have caused moral damage to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executives and, more generally, to the interests of motor sport and the values represented by the FIA". This could also be applied to the Red Bull team principal.

Is Red Bull risking further trouble?
If the team were to refuse to cooperate with the FIA in these cases, it could cause further problems. Any refusal in such a scenario would be seen as a clear breach of FIA rules. Red Bull would risk a direct confrontation.

A general investigation into the allegations by the FIA could well become an issue. Explosive chat messages, which are said to have been part of the investigation against the Briton, were emailed from an anonymous account to journalists, team bosses and Formula 1 bosses. This added fuel to the fire in the case, making intervention more likely.