Red Bull Suspends Female Employee Who Accused Formula 1 Boss of ‘Inappropriate Behavior’

Motorsport Images/AP

Red Bull has suspended the female employee who accused Formula 1 team principal Christian Horner of “inappropriate behavior,” the Associated Press reported.

Ahead of the current F1 season, Horner found himself at the center of controversy when the unnamed employee filed a complaint alleging misconduct on his behalf. An independent investigation began shortly after.

As the investigation went on, Horner continued his duties as team principal. On Feb. 28, it was reported that the complaint had been dismissed and no evidence of wrongdoing had been found. Details of the allegations have not been made public.

A day after the complaint was dismissed, however, more than 200 people received an email from an unidentified email account containing alleged messages between Horner and the woman. The messages have not been verified, and Horney declined to comment on “anonymous speculation from unknown sources.”

On Thursday, it was reported that the woman who filed the complaint had been suspended by Red Bull. Horner again declined to comment due to the confidential nature of the situation.

“I’m afraid that I can’t comment on anything that’s confidential between an employee and the company,” Horner said at a conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ahead of this weekend Grand Prix, “so I can’t offer you anything on that.”