Christian Horner was yesterday cleared for a second time of ‘inappropriate and coercive behaviour’ towards a female colleague at his Formula One team.
The Red Bull Racing principal and husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell looks set to remain in his £8 million-a-year job after an internal appeal process upheld the original verdict that exonerated him in March.
The appeal was conducted by an unnamed KC, who presented his findings to the team’s Austria-based parent company, Red Bull Gmbh, on Wednesday.
The board ratified the barrister’s report yesterday.
It is understood the complainant is considering whether to pursue the matter in an employment tribunal.
Horner, 50, has always denied the accusations and continued to lead Red Bull Racing throughout the scandal.
His team led both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships after 14 rounds of the F1 season. Geri, 52, has stood by Horner throughout the most turbulent months of their nine-year marriage and staged a very public show of support by walking hand-in-hand with him through the paddock at the opening race in Bahrain in March.
Although Horner had just been cleared in the initial investigation carried out by another unnamed KC, the weekend in the Gulf was electrified by an email leaked to the F1 community purporting to show Horner sending sexually suggestive texts to the employee.
The recipients included members of the press, team principals and F1 franchise owner Liberty Media.
The authenticity of those files has never been verified as it was sent from a generic, nameless email account.
Horner has never publicly confirmed or denied whether the exchanges were genuine.
‘’All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded, with the outcome that the appeal is not upheld,’’ said Red Bull Gmbh in a statement.
‘’The KC’s conclusions have been accepted and adopted by Red Bull. The internal process has concluded.
‘’The company respects the privacy of all its employees and will not be making further public comment on this matter at this time.
‘’Red Bull is committed to continuing to meet the highest workplace standards.’’
The complainant has been suspended from her job in the team’s Milton Keynes factory on full pay for the last six months.
While Horner will feel vindicated, the atmosphere within the team is still volatile.
Jos Verstappen, the father of world champion Max Verstappen, told the Mail in March that Red Bull Racing would ‘explode’ unless Horner quit.
The team have been further unsettled by the announcements that star designer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley are leaving at the end of the year.
Max Verstappen’s long-term future at the team is also uncertain, despite being on a £50 million-a-year contract until 2028.
Mercedes are desperate to sign the three-time world champion to replace Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari next season.
The F1 season resumes on August 25 with the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen’s home race, at Zandvoort.
Source Agencies
