- The Horner case: Red Bull employee fails appeal
Formula 1 Team Principal Christian Horner faces no further pressure in the scandal surrounding his alleged inappropriate behavior. Red Bull GmbH, the parent company, deemed a new complaint from a former team employee, who works with Max Verstappen, to be unfounded. Horner was already cleared in late February following an independent lawyer's investigation.
The employee appealed this decision, but another independent lawyer also concluded that the appeal was unfounded. Red Bull accepts this conclusion, the company stated, bringing the internal process to a close.
Red Bull confirms Horner's innocence
"An appeal was lodged by the complainant, and this was heard by another independent QC (Queen's Counsel). All stages of the appeal process have now been completed, with the final outcome being that the appeal is not upheld," Red Bull stated.
The employee accused Horner of inappropriate behavior. The 50-year-old, who has been married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell since 2015, has consistently denied these allegations. However, the situation gained renewed traction with the emergence of salacious emails.
Complaint to World Governing Body
On February 5, Red Bull made the employee's allegations public after they were initially reported by the Dutch newspaper "De Telegraaf". At the time, it was stated that "Red Bull is convinced that the investigation was fair, thorough, and impartial".
The relevant Red Bull employee is said to have also filed a complaint with the motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, and approached its ethics commission.
Formula One team principal Christian Horner's innocence was further confirmed by Red Bull, as an independent QC concluded that the employee's appeal against the initial finding was unfounded. Despite the allegations of inappropriate behavior, Red Bull continues to support Horner in his role within Formula One.
