Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has said he would prefer more transparency in Formula One in connection with the affair around Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Horner was cleared in an internal probe over alleged inappropriate behaviour towards a female team employee who has since been suspended. Messages allegedly between Horner and his accuser were later leaked to leading F1 figures and the media.
Vettel, who won his four world titles 2010-2013 under Horner at Red Bull, told Sky TV on Wednesday that "it would be nice if there was simply more transparency so that you really could have more of an opinion.
'I think it's always difficult if you read one thing, then another thing and then the opposite. I think now things are going round in circles," he said.
Germany's Vettel, who retired from F1 in 2022 but has not fully ruled out a return, said the affair overshadowed the good job their world champion driver Max Verstappen and the whole team were doing.
"The shame is that obviously Max is doing a great job. The team - a lot of individuals I remember from my time there, are doing a great job in the background and that's sort of forgotten when the subject hovers around something else," Vettel said.
Verstappen leads the standings heading into this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, despite failing to finish at the last race in Australia.
Looking at the big picture of women in F1, Vettel said: "F1 is changing, but it's an old fashioned business in many ways.
"When I left there were a lot more women in the paddock and a lot more women not just following the sport, but also working in the sport. I think that's a positive change but really, like everywhere else, there's still room for improvement."
