Author: quyen1

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could sign a two-fight deal to finally face each other, with one of the bouts potentially taking place at Wembley Stadium.

Joshua dispatched Francis Ngannou inside two rounds in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, and has now had three of his last five fights in the Middle Eastern country.

Fury also fought in Saudi Arabia last time out against Ngannou, and is set to return there in May for his undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk.

A win for Fury could set up a fight against Joshua, but fans have become concerned that the pair may not meet on British soil due to Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh being able to offer boxers lucrative money to fight in the Middle East.

However, Joshua’s promoter Hearn has raised hopes that his charge and Fury could meet in the UK, and even claimed that is something Alalshikh is exploring.

Eddie Hearn has revealed Anthony Joshua could fight Tyson Fury twice

Fury has to get past Oleksandr Usyk first, but may then focus his attention on Joshua

One of the fights could take place at Wembley Stadium, according to Hearn

‘This is a gentleman called Turki Alalshikh, who is obviously a very influential figure in sports and entertainment in Saudi Arabia,’ Hearn said on The Sports Agents podcast.

‘He’s also the biggest fight fan I’ve ever met. And quite amazingly, he’s now talking about staging two Fury vs AJ fights – one in Saudi Arabia and one at Wembley Stadium.’

Joshua and Fury have both fought at Wembley before, experiencing some of their best nights in boxing at the iconic venue.

AJ beat Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley in 2017, rising from the canvas to stop the Ukrainian in the 11th round of a back-and-forth contest.

He returned the following year to knock out Russia’s Alexander Povetkin in the seventh round.

Fury was also victorious at the national team stadium as he beat fellow Brit Dillian Whyte in 2022.

Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh (pictured) is on board with making one of the fights in the UK, Hearn claimed

Hearn would love to to bring a Joshua-Fury fight to Wembley, and insists Alalshikh is on board, but admits it is inevitable that big fights will continue to be made in Saudi Arabia in the coming months and years.

Speaking about Alalshikh, Hearn added: ‘He’s one of those guys that listens and reads everything.

‘So he’s definitely read about, “I wish this fight was at Wembley”, or “It’s a shame the fight is in Saudi Arabia”.

‘I mean, we really must have more of a global vision in sport, boxing doesn’t just sit here but two Brits, fighting for the undisputed world championship, I think he would probably bring one of them to the UK, I really do. And that financially, they’ve got the ability to do that.’

There were a few choice words shared between Dillian Whyte and Christian Hammer after the British fighter’s explosive return to boxing.

The 35-year-old made a winning comeback, having been absent since he returned ‘adverse analytical findings’ in a pre-fight drugs test carried out before his rematch with Anthony Joshua in 2023.

The positive test led to the cancellation of the fight at London’s O2 Arena.

Whyte made quick work of Romania-born Hammer, stopping him in the third round in Castlebar, Ireland on Sunday.

But he was visibly upset with his opponent following the decision from Hammer’s corner to waive the white flag before round four got underway.

Dillian Whyte (right) took issue to something that Chris Hammer had said or done at the end of their clash in Ireland

Dillian Whyte was making his first appearance in the ring since victory over Jermaine Franklin in 2022

According to Sky Sports, Whyte called the 36-year-old a coward five times before adding: ‘Why didn’t you fight?

‘I used to respect you. You’re a coward. You’re a coward.’

Whyte had calmed somewhat during a post-fight interview but he was still keen to stress his disappointment with the way things transpired.

‘He just quit you know but what can you do?’ He told Boxing Social. ‘I’m a bit p***ed off at myself.

‘It’s to be expected. I’ve been through a lot of hell, a lot of darkness and pent up frustration and aggression.

‘During camp I was calm, everything was calm but it had to come out at some point. That’s my nature. It’s just a shame that it came out like that.’

Whyte had bossed proceedings from the get go with a number of body shots in the opening round and into the second.

Whyte’s positive drugs test had led to his fight with Anthony Joshua being cancelled last year

Round three was a less refined affair but it still proved effective in ending the aspirations of the boxer who has also suffered defeats to Joe Joyce and Tyson Fury.

The Brit took his professional record to 30-3, with those losses coming to Gury, Anthony Joshua and Alexander Povetkin.

Whyte was making his first appearance since a majority decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in November 2022.

Ahead of Sunday’s fight, he told Sky Sports: ‘I’d love to have one more crack at a world title. That’s the goal.

‘I’ve done almost everything there is to do in boxing. I’ve been on the good and the bad. I just need to win a world title and then that will be the icing on the cake.’

Anthony Joshua put on a very cosy display with British hair salon owner and influencer Kika Osunde following his knockout match in Dubai earlier this month.

The boxing champ, 34, cuddled up to the stunner, 37, as they quad biked through the desert after sharing a ringside kiss two round demolition of Francis Ngannou in nearby Saudi Arabia.

According to The Sun AJ rushed to Kika in the crowed following the match and asked: ‘How are you Kika? I haven’t seen you in so long! How are you?’.

As she replied: ‘Congratulations. I’m good,’ before planting a kiss on his cheek.

They later went racing through the Dubai dunes with Kika wrapping her arms around the athlete and resting her head on his back.

Anthony Joshua, 34, put on a very cosy display with British hair salon owner and influencer Kika Osunde, 37, following his knockout match in Dubai earlier this month

The boxing champ cuddled up to the stunne  as they quad biked through the desert after sharing a ringside kiss two round demolition of Francis Ngannou in nearby Saudi Arabia

They also dined together at swanky Lebanese restaurant Babati Lounge and posed with pals for a snap outside the venue

According to the publication Anthony had been riding alone, with Kika in a nearby buggy with pals, before she jumped on to join him.

A source said: ‘They looked very cosy and like they were having fun with each other.’

The pair also dined together at swanky Lebanese restaurant Babati Lounge and posed with pals for a snap outside the venue.

A spokesman for AJ told MailOnline: ‘Anthony is in a relationship…. with professional boxing. He has no time for extra commitments. He is having a break from boxing and will return to the gym this week. Sadly the claims of a relationship are just rumours’

Kika is known to her 274K Instagram followers as Kika Good Hair and runs a salon in West London.

She often keeps fans up to date with her incredibly lavish lifestyle including trips on private plane and a recent stop at Paris Fashion Week.

Anthony, who shares eight-year-old son JJ with ex partner Nicole Osbourne, has previously been linked to Gigi Hadid and Rita Mahrez, the then wife of Man City player Riyad Mahrez. 

Last year Anthony revealed why he still lived with his mother insisting that any future partner would struggle to convince him to move out.

Kika is known to her 274K Instagram followers as Kika Good Hair and runs a salon in West London

She often keeps fans up to date with her incredibly lavish lifestyle including trips on private plane

She also attended the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week

Anthony pictured at the match last month

The boxer, who moved back into his mother’s two bedroom ex-council flat in 2017 sat down with Louis Theroux to discuss his close relationship with his family and warned future girlfriends they’ll need to compete with his mum, Yeta Odusanya.

‘I still live with my mum,’ the two-time world champion told the BBC. ‘In our culture, we grew up in our own family home, we support our parents.

‘Why am I going to move out and leave my mum by herself, for some girl? Family is the most important thing.

‘When a girl gets with me, she ain’t just marrying me, she’s marrying my family.’

The grounded boxing star, who is not publicly in a relationship, admitted that he likes to keep his personal life private as he cannot live up to the expectations people have of him.

He continued: ‘Are we going to dissect everything I say and use it as a narrative to create a story? That’s why I keep myself to myself.

‘You put all this pressure on yourself to come and be this big star and be perfect.

‘I’m telling you, they’ll pull you down. The higher you are, the bigger the drop.’

IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Mercedes have struggled comprehensively since the regulation changes of 2022 and have won just one race since then- the 2022 Sao Paolo GP.  Because of the Silver Arrows’ recent problems, they are hoping to use some “experiments” for the upcoming race in Melbourne next weekend. Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin shed light on the same in a recent race debrief after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Shovlin stated (as per Autosport) “We’re trying to design some experiments there (Melbourne) that will hopefully give us a direction that’s good for performance“. The Briton then explained the details of how they are experimenting to address some of the concerns Lewis Hamilton and George Russell faced in the opening two races of the 2024 campaign.

The first major struggle was that of porpoising, something that was a massive concern for the team in the 2022 season. Meanwhile, another concern that Mercedes are currently facing is their lack of pace in high-speed corners. Speaking of how Mercedes are attempting to address these two concerns, Shovlin added,

“Some of that was they’d complained about bouncing. So we were looking at ways of trying to improve that. You can play with ride heights, you can play with stiffness, and that all seems effective. And also they were just trying to tune the balance through the speed range. So what’s the car like in the low-speed? What’s it like in the high-speed?“

Since Mercedes still find themselves in the experimental phase, the obvious question that arises is how good of a chance they have to challenge Red Bull for the win at the Australian Grand Prix next weekend if their changes pay off.

Can Mercedes challenge Red Bull for the win in Melbourne?

2024 could easily be a repeat of the 2023 season considering how Red Bull have begun the new campaign. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have led the team to two 1-2 finishes in the opening two rounds.

Although Perez seemed to struggle to register a strong qualifying performance, he did seem quick during the race. In both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Perez comfortably managed to finish second despite his failure to qualify on the front row in both races.

Since Red Bull seem so quick during the races, it is highly unlikely that a team like Mercedes, who have even struggled to match Ferrari so far this season, can discover enough pace in a week to challenge the Milton Keynes outfit. As a result, it is likely that Verstappen will once again win in Melbourne next weekend until and unless Perez can pose a threat to him.

As for Mercedes, they will look to narrow down the gap to Ferrari and fight for the final podium spot. At the moment, the Italian outfit do comfortably seem as the second-fastest side, having grabbed the final podium spot in both Bahrain (Carlos Sainz) and Saudi Arabia (Charles Leclerc).

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Lewis Hamilton is using the one-week break from F1 to carry out promotional duties for his team, Mercedes. He recently visited a school in Kuala Lumpur, to attend an event organized by Petronas, one of Mercedes’ main sponsors. While addressing the audience, Hamilton let them know about his love for the Silver Arrows, with whom he created history over the last decade.

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In a TikTok video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by @44britcedes, Hamilton can be heard saying, “I still love this team so much.”

 The rest of his statement is largely inaudible owing to the echo in the hall. However, fans got the gist of the emotion with what was comprehensible through the recording.

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Given that Hamilton is awaiting his move to Ferrari in 2025, this comment carries a different emotional value. Earlier this year, the 7-time champion made the startling revelation of his move away from Mercedes. It will bring an end to one of F1’s most dominant partnerships of all time. Hamilton won six world titles himself, and helped Mercedes win eight constructors’ titles.

However, things haven’t been the same since the start of the ground-effect regulations era in 2022. The engineers have failed to develop an understanding of the concept and are struggling to produce a championship-winning car. Meanwhile, the baton of dominance has passed over to Red Bull, who are now creating waves in the sport themselves.

Hamilton’s Ferrari move comes in the form of a gamble, though. As of now, the Maranello-based outfit is nowhere close to challenging Red Bull to a championship fight. However, they have a chance of turning their fortunes in 2026 when the regulations change once again. To make sure the development of that car happens under his supervision, Hamilton planned the move a year in advance.

Will Mercedes tread with caution over leaking secrets to Lewis Hamilton?

Lewis Hamilton, despite his impending Ferrari move, insists that his focus will only be on Mercedes in 2024. However, the Silver Arrows find themselves in a sticky situation. They need to disclose every bit of information and data to Hamilton in order to develop the car further as the season passes. At the same time, they need to hide crucial data points from him to avoid leaking any potentially secret information to Ferrari.

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That is precisely the concern Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle raised before the start of the season. However, presenter Simon Lazenby felt Mercedes owed all their success to Hamilton and therefore, should think twice before taking any such decision.

In a video uploaded by Sky Sports on YouTube, Lazenby said, “The thing with Lewis, it’s an exceptional case, isn’t it? At the end of the day, it’s Lewis and Lewis has brought everything to Mercedes. Therefore, they kind of do owe him a little bit, I think they owe him everything really and they probably owe him the respect that he deserves to treat him like the great champion that he is for the time that he has remaining at Mercedes.”

This is not the only concern plaguing the Brackley-based outfit. They have the herculean task of finding the replacement for the man who created history with them. As per reports, options range from 2-time champion Fernando Alonso to F2 rookie Kimi Antonelli. Making predictions is a futile exercise as team boss Toto Wolff has at least 4 more options between those two.

Lewis Hamilton is all set to join Ferrari in 2025, at 39 years of age. Since Hamilton is most likely near the last stages of his career, Ferrari has been advised to focus on the development of Oliver Bearman, a driver who could replace the seven-time champion in the future. Bearman’s rise in motorsport has been phenomenal.

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It was further boosted by his stellar F1 debut in Saudi Arabia last weekend when he made a substitute appearance for Carlos Sainz, who was sidelined due to appendicitis surgery. Since Bearman is also Haas’ reserve driver, there is a possibility that Ferrari could help the 18-year-old land a full-time F1 role with the American outfit, who they have good relations with.

Speaking about the same, Christian Hewgill, from The Fast and The Curious podcast, said, “There’s going to be lots of movement. Alpine’s drivers are out of contract, there could be other movements with the Mercedes seat. [Therefore,] Ferrari are going to want to keep hold of Ollie Bearman. He is a part of the team’s future you know. Lewis [Hamilton] won’t be here forever.”

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Hamilton’s move to Ferrari next year might be late but comes with the aim of landing his eighth world championship. While it may be difficult for him to win the title next year, he could have a chance in 2026 when F1 introduces the new regulations.

If Hamilton does achieve his goal in 2026, there is a possibility that he may choose to hang his boots then. That is when Ferrari could potentially replace the 39-year-old with Oliver Bearman.

Is Oliver Bearman the next big thing in F1?

If Lewis Hamilton does end up leaving Ferrari by the end of the 2026 season, then Oliver Bearman may have to step up and replace his compatriot. The 18-year-old has already shown what he is capable of after a brilliant F1 debut with Ferrari last weekend in Saudi Arabia.

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Bearman got the call to replace Carlos Sainz just three hours before the third and final practice session. However, that did not stop the young Briton from impressing in both qualifying and the race.

Bearman qualified P11 on Friday and came agonizingly close to knocking out Lewis Hamilton. A day later, he finished P7 during the main race and also won Driver of the Day.

Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

The Lewis Hamilton v Max Verstappen comparison is one of the most raging debates in the modern F1 era. It all started during Hamilton’s era of domination when Verstappen emerged as the challenger. The debate has continued now that the Dutchman is in the seven-time champion’s position as the reigning champion. The latest to give his two cents to the argument is former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.

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In a recent interview with German publication Formel1.de, Schumacher said, “Hamilton is of course a seven-time world champion and a fantastic driver. But I don’t think he has the qualities that Verstappen has. I don’t think he’s as consistent as Verstappen. And he can’t take that extra tenth away at any cost.”

Verstappen is indeed going through a purple patch where he is churning out consistently strong performances. One is never able to make out whether he is pushing to the limit because that is how easy he makes it look.

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The result of that was witnessed last year when he registered 19 wins in the 2023 season, a run that has continued in 2024 with two victories out of the same number of races. The record-breaking run is on its course to continue further for at least two more years.

With the way Verstappen has started the 2024 season, it definitely seems like his championship to lose. Moreover, with the regulations set to continue for another year after this, the Dutchman is also the favorite to add another title to his name in 2025.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is nowhere close to emerging as the challenger anytime soon. Mercedes is struggling in high-speed corners, an issue that Hamilton revealed has plagued the team for three years now. Meanwhile, the infamous porpoising is back, giving the engineers in Brackley another headache.

‘Lewis Hamilton won’t bring much to Ferrari’- Ralf Schumacher

Lewis Hamilton caused a major storm in the F1 world with the explosive announcement of his 2025 Ferrari move earlier this year. The move is certainly the biggest driver transfer in the modern era of F1, if not the history of the sport. However, Ralf Schumacher isn’t sure if Hamilton will bring much to the table.

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“He will certainly bring his expertise and his ideas, but I think Ferrari is already well off to a good start. (Lewis) Hamilton won’t be able to bring much. I’m sure Vasseur wouldn’t pay that much money for nothing. He will offer and give to Hamilton everything you need to make it work,” Schumacher remarked.

Ferrari, much like Mercedes, is looking to bounce back to the top in 2026. With the new set of regulations set to kick in, the Maranello team needs an experienced driver to guide the team. Hamilton brings exactly that to the table, with Charles Leclerc being relatively less experienced.

The move could even end up halting the Red Bull-Verstappen juggernaut. The 2026 regulations relate majorly to changes in engine specs, an area Red Bull has little experience in. Ferrari and Mercedes, on the other hand, take pride in the power units that many other teams purchase to fit in their cars.

On a different tangent, Verstappen might end up jumping ship himself. With the ongoing Red Bull saga, Helmut Marko’s place in the team has come under threat. The Dutchman, who remains loyal to the Austrian, has warned that he might leave if Marko leaves.

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

The Christian Horner case has taken a new turn, continuing the saga that began over two months ago. BBC has reportedly learned that the female complainant suspended by Red Bull has lodged an official complaint with the FIA. Meanwhile, Horner continues to deny the allegations against him, adding to the drama around the entire episode.

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The latest act comes after there were reportedly two previous whistleblower complaints registered with the FIA. Per the report from BBC, a whistleblower contacted the FIA on their hotline on 2nd February and directly referenced Horner‘s inappropriate behavior. They asked the authorities to look into Horner’s behavior with female employees. Furthermore, they expressed fears over Red Bull trying to cover it all up.

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On March 6, the whistleblower contacted the FIA again. They made references to the first call and claimed to go to the media next. The FIA has since issued a statement addressing the reports claiming the female employee reaching out to them. The first few lines of the statement read:

“Enquiries and complaints are received and managed by the compliance officer and the ethics committee where appropriate. Both bodies operate autonomously, guaranteeing strict confidentiality throughout the process.”

The statement continues by claiming that the FIA will not be able to confirm the receipt of any complaint. Furthermore, it read that it is unlikely that they will comment on any complaints they receive from any party. The statement enraged followers of F1 on social media, who did not hold back.

F1 community unhappy with the latest statement in the Red Bull employee saga

Soon after the FIA issued the official statement, fans stormed to X to have their say on the matter. They believe the nature of the matter deserves a more public approach. Per the fans, private investigations and hearings are only a means to “cover-up” and stack the odds against the ex-Red Bull employee.

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Following the statement, one fan called for the FIA to be dissolved.

Some fans pointed out how things were different from the latest statement when the Wolffs were being investigated.

Meanwhile, some more fans were upset with the statement.

The off-track incidents continue to take center stage at the Red Bull camp. While they continue to dominate the on-track proceedings, the off-track exploits continue to disrupt their achievements and tarnish their image. Given the same, more and more people are starting to wonder how long some of the team’s biggest names would want to continue their association with the team. Rumors often pop up of top personnel wanting to move away from the team. While the credibility of such reports remains doubtful, a move might not be the biggest surprise.

Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

The 2024 Saudi Arabian GP exposed a major flaw in Mercedes’ challenger- the W15. While battling with the McLarens, Lewis Hamilton was losing up to 5 tenths in the fast, twisty sections of the Jeddah Corniche Street Circuit. Now, to combat this issue, Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, has confirmed that the team is looking to do some “experiments” to ensure it fixes those niggles at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

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Auto Motor und Sport quoted Shovlin, “There’s a lot of work going on in the aerodynamics department and the vehicle dynamics department. We’re trying to develop some experiments there that will hopefully give us a direction that will improve our performance.”

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The car that Mercedes has developed this season is like a bullet in the straights. However, as Shovlin explained, their troubles come in the faster corners where the aerodynamic demands are at its peak. What’s more, during the race in Jeddah, the team used different setups on Hamilton and George Russell’s car. Unfortunately, neither car managed to yield a positive feedback.

While the team looks to experiment, Hamilton grows incredibly frustrated. Mercedes has been in a slump since 2022, which has prevented him from winning races too. Unless things take a dramatic turn this season, Hamilton is in for more of the same.

Lewis Hamilton faced tough Jeddah challenge owing to Mercedes’ failures

Hamilton’s race-long battle with the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri was a frustrating tussle for the seven-time world champion. Ex-Ferrari manager, Peter Windsor even termed it as an embarrassment.

In the opening rounds of the Grand Prix, Hamilton had to defend strong to keep the hounding Oscar Piastri at bay. Then, when the final rounds of pitstops were done, Hamilton came out behind Norris.

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With a handful of laps to go, Hamilton went on the attack. However, that’s where Mercedes’ handicap was the most evident. In race trim, the MCL38 is one of the slowest cars in straight-line speed. Still, Norris was able to pull a gap on Hamilton in the middle-section of the track. This is because of Mercedes’ overwhelming weakness in sections that have fast corners.

McLaren’s supreme cornering ability allowed them to thwart Hamilton’s charge and pull a whopping half-a-second over Hamilton, over the course of one lap.

Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei

Christian Horner seems to have had enough of the spotlight on him for the last few weeks. This led to the Red Bull boss asking the media to “move on” from the recent allegations that rocked the F1 world. However, his demand for closure did sit well with journalists, who called the Briton out for his comments.

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Laura Winter, Christian Hewgill, Bettywyn Glover, and Ellie Kime sat together in a recent episode of The Fast and The Curious podcast to discuss Horner’s ongoing saga. They disagreed with Horner’s demand to “move” past his controversy. Hewgill feels that it is up to the fans if they want to move past it or not.

Speaking about the same, Hewgill said, “The reality is when Christian Horner arrived at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend and said we need to move on now. The fact that so much of it is still unknown means that it’s not for Christian to decide when we move on. Formula 1 fans invest a lot of time and money into this sport. And they will decide when it’s time to move on.”

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Glover, adding on the same, declined to stop talking about the controversy. She said “We’re not just going to sit here and ignore everything that’s happening. We can’t do that. So, Christian Horner, we’re not moving on. Thank you very much.”

Furthermore, the hosts also invited a fan to share her thoughts on this month-long ordeal. The fan named Kime, admitted that she was disappointed. At the same time, she wasn’t surprised with how everything unfolded.

How Christian Horner’s investigation came to a close

In the first week of February, a female employee at Red Bull reportedly accused Horner of inappropriate behavior at the workplace. Once the news broke, Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing took immediate cognizance of the situation and put Horner under investigation.

However, the outside world did not know what was happening and what the investigation was about. It was after an anonymous mail containing chats between Horner and the female employee was leaked, that everyone started to have an idea about the entire situation.

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About 149 journalists and higher-ups at F1 and FIA received a Google Drive link containing screengrabs of the same. This urged the fans and renowned F1 entities such as Toto Wolff and Zak Brown to call for more transparency regarding the investigation.

Lewis Hamilton also pointed this out as he said the current situation is very serious for the sport. The seven-time world champion said that the ongoing Christian Horner ordeal is affecting everyone in F1. Other drivers, however, have refused to make impactful statements on the matter. For this, they have been called out.