The Red Bull Formula One worker who accused Christian Horner, the team principal, of being overbearing and inappropriate has had her appeal reviewed.“not upheld.”
Early in February, Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of the Formula One team, said that Horner was the subject of an independent inquiry into claims of inappropriate behavior, and that “an external professional barrister” would be handling the case. A King’s Counsel (KC) questioned Horner on February 9; a few days later, the season premiered. Red Bull GmbH declared on February 28 that the investigation was over and the complaint was dropped.
The complainant and several team members were interviewed by the KC, but the specifics of the investigation report were kept confidential. At the time, Red Bull GmbH stated that “the investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned.”
A person knowledgeable on the case told The Athletic in early March that the employee was later suspended, and that this was due to the results from the independent inquiry. She appealed in the same month. The accusations have been refuted by Horner, whose squad is presently leading both championships.
Horner has been working for Red Bull throughout the current F1 season (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Red Bull GmbH stated that an impartial KC, the identity of whom was withheld, handled the appeal.
“All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded, with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld,” it read. “The KC’s conclusions have been accepted and adopted by Red Bull. The internal process has concluded.
“The company respects the privacy of all its employees and will not be making further public comment on this matter at this time.
“Red Bull is committed to continuing to meet the highest workplace standards.”
The Athletic has reached out to Horner’s and the employee’s representatives for a response.
Many members of the international press and prominent F1 people received an anonymous email during the preseason while the sport was in Bahrain. The email contained screenshots of unconfirmed messages and images that were purportedly sent between him and the female employee. Horner declined to respond, referring to them as “anonymous, speculative messages from an unknown source.”
(Top photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
