Red Bull suspends woman at the center of Horner controversy
Red Bull has suspended a female employee at the center of allegations made against team principal Christian Horner.
Red Bull has suspended a female employee at the center of allegations made against team principal Christian Horner.
This decision comes in the wake of an eight-week independent investigation commissioned by the team to probe claims of inappropriate behavior leveled against Horner.
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F1news.live Staff
Clearing the Air
The investigation, led by an independent lawyer appointed by Red Bull, cleared Horner of any wrongdoing on the eve of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. A statement from the team stated,
"The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr. Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal."
Consequences and actions
While the details of the investigation's findings remain undisclosed, f1news.live has learned that one of the consequences has been the suspension of the female employee at the center of the matter.
The employee, who remained employed by the Milton Keynes-based team until recently, has now been suspended.
Red Bull has refrained from issuing an official statement regarding the suspension, with a team spokesperson declining to comment, citing it as an internal matter.
"The company cannot comment on this internal matter," a Red Bull spokesperson said on Thursday.
This confidentiality has fueled speculation and theories surrounding the nature of the allegations and the motivations behind the actions taken.
Impact on Horner and Red Bull
The situation was further exacerbated by an anonymous source leaking alleged evidence from the case to senior F1 personnel and media outlets, as well as criticism from Jos Verstappen, the father of Max Verstappen.
Despite the challenges, Horner has received public support from Red Bull's Thai majority owner, Chalerm Yoovidhya.
The presence of Red Bull's managing director Oliver Mintzlaff at the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix could shed light on the company's stance on the matter and address speculation of unease within the organization.
Horner hits back on the FIA Press Conference at the Saudi Arabian GP
"My wife has been hugely supportive, as has my family, but the intrusion on my family is now enough, and we need to move forward and focus on what we are here for."
"It is time now to focus on why we are here which is to go F1 racing."
"Obviously there’s been an awful lot of coverage surrounding this,” the 50-year-old said. “But one has to go back to the basics of a grievance was raised. It was fully investigated, and it was dismissed and from there, we move onwards. I think an awful lot has been made out of this.
"Obviously, it has been of great interest in different elements of the media for different reasons.
"I think the time now is to look forward and to draw a line under it. We’re here to go racing."
"We’re here as a Formula 1 team and the time now is to focus on what is going on on track and the performance of the cars and the drivers and where the spotlight should be during the course of a grand prix weekend."
"It was dealt with in the most professional manner by the group, not by Red Bull Racing, but by the owners of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull GmbH."
"The appointed and independent KC, that is one of the most reputable KCs in the land."
"He took time to investigate fully all of the facts. He interviewed all of the people involved together with others of interest."
"He looked at everything. He had all of the facts and he came to a conclusion where he dismissed the grievance."
"As far as I’m concerned, as far as Red Bull is concerned, we move on and we look to the future."
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