The female employee who accused the Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, of inappropriate behaviour has had her appeal into the investigation that dismissed her complaint rejected.
The employee has had her appeal under review by an independent KC since the beginning of the process in late March. They reviewed the initial investigation and contacted Horner and the complainant during the process. This week, the finding, that the appeal was not upheld, was presented to the board of Red Bull’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, which accepted the decision.
The employee is understood to have been told on Thursday, when Red Bull GmbH issued a statement. “Earlier this year a complaint raised against Christian Horner was investigated,” it said. “That complaint was dealt with through the company’s grievance procedure by the appointment of an independent KC who dismissed the grievance.
“The complainant exercised the right to appeal, and the appeal was carried out by another independent KC. All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded, with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld. The KC’s conclusions have been accepted and adopted by Red Bull. The internal process has concluded.”
A spokesperson for Red Bull Racing said the team will not comment further but are understood to believe this will draw a line under the case that overshadowed the first half of the 2024 Formula One season.
The employee, who has not been named, is believed to have made the allegations against Horner last November and they became public in early February. After an independent inquiry, conducted by an English barrister, Red Bull Racing’s parent company, which instigated the investigation, rejected the grievance on the eve of the first race of the season in Bahrain on 28 February.
The employee was described by a friend as being “very upset, angry, scared, intimidated and lonely” in April and that she “struggles to understand” the investigation’s conclusions.
Horner has always emphatically denied any wrongdoing and after the complaint was dismissed called for the matter to be closed. However, it was almost immediately further complicated when a leaked email was shared with senior team personnel, F1, the FIA and the media, featuring messages purporting to be between Horner and the complainant. Horner has always refused to comment on anonymous emails leaked to the press.
There have been repeated calls for the findings of the investigation to be made public by other teams, F1 and the FIA but Red Bull GmbH insists this is not possible for confidentiality reasons. Neither Horner nor the employee have made any comment on the investigation, due to confidentiality agreements concluded as part of the process.
The issue has since exposed serious divides within Red Bull Racing and with their parent company, seemingly part of a power struggle between the two bodies aimed at destabilising and removing Horner. However, the board’s acceptance of and backing of the appeal verdict suggests it now wishes to draw a line and that Horner’s position is under no threat.
The employee was suspended because of what is understood to have been dishonest evidence she presented to the initial investigation. She remains under suspension and Red Bull are considering their options as to what to do next in regard to her position.
The furore around the affair also exposed rifts within the team, with Jos Verstappen, the father of their world champion, Max, twice stating he believed Horner’s position was untenable, while the driver warned at one point he could leave the team.
Red Bull’s talismanic designer, Adrian Newey, has since announced he is leaving and last week their sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, who has been with Red Bull for 18 years, announced this season would be his last with the team as he would be joining Audi as team principal for their entry into F1 in 2026.
