F1 misconduct complaint: Red Bull denies appeal of employee who accused F1 boss Christian Horner

Red Bull dismissed on Thursday the appeal of an employee who accused Christian Horner, head of the company’s Formula 1 team, of inappropriate conduct.

The complaint was found to be without merit when initially investigated earlier this year, but the employee had the right to appeal. Red Bull said the initial complaint was “dealt with through the company’s grievance procedure” by an independent counsel who dismissed the grievance.

The employee had the right to appeal, and that investigation was conducted by a second independent counsel.

“All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded,” said Red Bull, “with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld.”

The employee was suspended in March with pay. The announcement did not address the person’s current status.

A day after the initial complaint against Horner was dismissed in March, a file alleged to contain evidence against Horner was emailed to nearly 200 people in the F1 paddock, including Liberty Media, F1, the FIA, the other nine team principals and multiple media outlets. That occurred during practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

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The authenticity of the files has never been verified; the file came from a generic email account.

Horner has remained in charge of the F1 team throughout the entire process, and appears to have avoided any repercussions. Three-time world champion Max Verstappen has won seven races and is the F1 points leader as the series is in its annual summer break.

The rift remains, though, between Horner and Verstappen’s father, who have lobbed accusations and denials at each other in media interviews over Jos Verstappen’s perceived involvement in the employee seeking damages.

The details of the allegations have never been made public, but the investigation had consumed F1 and was a major talking point early in the season. The complaint against Horner was dismissed less than 24 hours before the first practice session of the season, and the saga largely faded into the background aside from tension between Horner and Verstappen’s father.

The season resumes August 25 with the Dutch Grand Prix, Max Verstappen’s home race.