Employee appeal denied in Horner misconduct case

The Red Bull F1 employee who accused team boss Christian Horner of controlling and inappropriate behaviour has had her appeal denied.

Parent company Red Bull GmbH confirmed on Thursday that it has reviewed the findings of a second independent probe into the complaint, which was originally dismissed in late February on the eve of the season.

ESPN understands the unidentified woman remains suspended by the team, as she has been since the beginning of March.

A statement from Red Bull GmbH said: “Earlier this year a complaint raised against Christian Horner was investigated. That complaint was dealt with through the company’s grievance procedure by the appointment of an independent KC [king’s counsel,] 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.

“The company respects the privacy of all its employees and will not be making further public statements at this time.

“Red Bull is committed to continuing to meet the highest workplace standards.”

The initial complaint threatened the job of Horner, who has led Red Bull’s F1 team since it joined the grid in 2005.

Horner, 50, strenuously denied the allegations from the first time a complaint was lodged and remained in his post throughout the initial investigation.

The talk around the misconduct case dominated the build-up to the current season’s opening race in Bahrain.

During the preseason, files purportedly related to the investigation were leaked by email to nearly 200 people in the F1 paddock, including Liberty Media, F1, the FIA, the other nine team principals and multiple media outlets.