Wolff criticises 'basic' Red Bull Horner statement

Toto Wolff has labelled Red Bull's statement clearing Christian Horner of inappropriate behaviour as "basic, vague and opaque."

On Wednesday, the Red Bull Team Principal and CEO was cleared by parent company Red Bull GmbH after a lengthy investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour by a female member of staff at the team.

Horner denied the allegations and insisted it was 'business as usual' with the saga overshadowing the launch of the RB20 and pre-season testing.

Wolff called for transparency and felt F1 should learn from the case when questioned during testing - with the Mercedes boss now heavily critical of the lack of information in the report, which Red Bull GmbH insists will remain confidential to protect all parties involved in the investigation from the member of staff to Horner and those involved in the legal process.

"I just read the statement which was pretty basic, and my personal opinion is that we can't look behind the curtain," Wolff told media including RacingNews365.

"At the end of the day, there is a lady in an organisation that has spoken to HR and said there was an issue, and it was investigated.

"Yesterday, the sport received the message that it was 'all fine, we have looked at it' and I believe that as a global sport on such critical topics, it needs more transparecy.

"I wonder what the sport's position is, we are competitors, we are a team and can have our own opinions, but it is more like a general reaction that we as a sport need to address what is right in that situation.

"Again as I said, we are being asked questions here as competitors, are we talking as competitors and with the right values, morales based on the speculation," Wolff added when questioned further by RacingNews365.

"As a sport, we cannot, we cannot afford to leave things in the vague, the opaque on critical topics like this because it is going to catch us out.

"Because eventually we are in a super transparent world, and eventually things are going to happen, and I think the organisation (Red Bull GmbH) have looked it at and it is 'Okay and we can move on' and not try to supress it.

"I am not saying this has happened, but we are standing from the outside looking in at statements, press releases and it seems it is not as modern as things are in the real world, but maybe we are in a bubble in Formula 1 and think that is okay."