Horner complainant has appeal dismissed

The woman who complained about Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s behaviour has had her appeal against the investigation that cleared him dismissed.

She first lodged a complaint in December that contained allegations of coercive, abusive behaviour and sexual harassment by Horner, 50.

Red Bull cleared Horner, who has always denied the allegations of wrongdoing, in February after an internal investigation conducted by an independent lawyer.

Another independent lawyer has now concluded the appeal against that decision was not upheld.

In a statement, Red Bull said it had “accepted and adopted” the conclusions of the lawyer.

It added: “The company respects the privacy of all its employees and will not be making further public comment of this matter at this time.”

The complainant has been suspended by Red Bull since March. BBC Sport has previously reported the reason given to the employee was she had been dishonest.

Red Bull’s statement on Thursday did not address her employment status.

The company has not given further details of the case, citing confidentiality, since the investigation came to light in early February.

The day after the complaint was dismissed, a cache of messages purporting to involve Horner was leaked to nearly 150 senior F1 personnel and media.

Horner described the leak as “anonymous, speculative messages from an unknown source” and refused to comment on its contents.

Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey will depart the team in early 2025 after telling them he wanted to leave in the wake of the controversy.

The 2024 F1 season resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix on 23 August after the summer break, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leading the drivers’ championship as he seeks a fourth straight title.