The controversy surrounding the team principal of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, and the future of a beloved driver, Lewis Hamilton, are the major topics of discussion as Formula One prepares to open its season next weekend in Bahrain.

Testing began this week in Bahrain with Mr. Horner at the helm of Red Bull even as he is the subject of an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct toward a team employee. Initially, the focus reportedly centered on Mr. Horner’s aggressive management style, but allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced from allegations that he sent sexual messages to a female employee and then offered her an $816,510 settlement.

Red Bull, an energy drink giant headquartered in Austria, announced the independent investigation on Feb.ruary 5 by issuing a statement saying “an external specialist barrister” had been hired, and the investigation would be “completed as soon as practically possible.”  

There has been little comment from Red Bull since then, as the scandal grows into sensational tabloid fodder. Mr. Horner, who is married to the singer Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell, denied any wrongdoing. “There’s a process going on which I form part of,” Mr. Horner told reporters in Bahrain. “But as I form part of that process, I’m afraid I cannot comment on it.”

Otherwise, Mr. Horner remained mum on the subject while world champion driver Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey, the team’s car designer, tested Red Bull’s new car in preparation for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The RB20, which features a vertical air intake and a refined floor to increase efficiency, is earning positive reviews after its initial preseason tests.

The 2023 car wasn’t bad either. Mr. Verstappen and Red Bull dominated last season, earning the highest single-season winning percentage ever at 95.45. The team accumulated 21 victories, including 14 consecutive wins, blowing away the previous record of 11 straight wins, set by McLaren in 1988.

Mr. Verstappen, a Dutchman, became a three-time world champion while  setting F1 records with 10 consecutive wins and 19 victories overall in 22 races. He made the podium a record 21 times. With Mr. Horner as the team principal since it entered F1 in 2005, Red Bull has won six constructor’s championships and seven drivers’ championships. 

Formula One itself — as well as its, sponsors, and corporate backers — are reportedly pushing for a resolution to Mr. Horner’s investigation to quiet the negative publicity overshadowing the season opener.

Meanwhile, another star, Lewis Hamilton, enters his final season driving for Mercedes after announcing he’ll join Ferrari in 2025. For an equivalent, imagine the running back Saquon Barkley announcing he would play for the Dallas Cowboys after one more season with the New York Giants. Or slugger Pete Alonso agreeing to play for the New York Yankees after a final year with the New York Mets. They would catch more heat than popcorn.

The most decorated driver in F1 history, Mr. Hamilton won six of his seven F1 world championships during his 12 seasons with Mercedes. Mr. Hamilton, though, hasn’t won in the two years dominated by Red Bull and the chance to join Formula One’s most famous and successful franchise proved too good to pass up.

“It’s the equivalent of going to the Yankees,” a Formula One enthusiast Michael Snider, told the Sun. “Everybody wants to go play for the Yankees and put on the pinstripes. Ferrari is the same for Formula One. They’re the Yankees of Formula One.”

Ferrari hasn’t won a championship in 15 years and at 39 years old Mr. Hamilton would prefer to notch  his eighth championship sooner rather than later. Trying to accomplish that in his final season with Mercedes makes him someone who will be cheered more than booed. Each stop in 2024 becomes an opportunity to see whether he can add a record-breaking eighth-world championship driving for Mercedes.

“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together,” Mr. Hamilton said in a statement released by Mercedes. “Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I grew up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.”

Mr. Hamilton, though, added that the “time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”