JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Red Bull Racing has suspended with pay the female employee who made allegations of inappropriate behavior against team principal Christian Horner, a person briefed on the matter told The Athletic on Thursday.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not give more details about the terms or reason for the suspension, but acknowledged that it was related to the findings of an outside investigation that led to the dismissal of a grievance against Horner.
Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing, acknowledged when the woman’s complaint was dismissed last week that she has the right to appeal. It is not clear whether an appeal has been filed, or how that would be processed.
A spokesperson for Red Bull Racing said the team would not comment on employee matters. Asked about the reported suspension in a news conference Thursday, Horner also declined to comment. “Even if I would like to talk about it, I can’t, because of those confidentiality restrictions,” he said of the investigation.
The FIA, the regulator for the sport, said it did not deem it appropriate to comment on a team’s action against one of its employees. It referred questions to F1, which declined to comment.
Since the dismissal of the grievance, Horner has faced fresh scrutiny after messages allegedly sent between him and the complainant were anonymously leaked on the eve of the new F1 season in Bahrain.
Horner refused to comment on what he called “anonymous, speculative messages from an unknown source.” The Athletic, which received an email with the leaked contents, has been unable to authenticate them.
The Red Bull team principal said after Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen won the race ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez, that he was “absolutely” confident of continuing in his role.
“There was a full, lengthy internal process that was completed by an independent (investigator),” Horner said. “And the grievance that was raised was dismissed. End of. Move on.”
Horner’s position was brought into further question at the end of last week by Verstappen’s father, Jos, who said Red Bull risked being “torn apart” if he continued in the role.
Horner held talks with Max Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, in Dubai before traveling to Jeddah for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Speaking for the first time since his father’s comments on Wednesday, Verstappen said he intended to remain with Red Bull through the end of his contract in 2028, and stressed his focus was on the team’s performance on the race track.
“From my side, what I want, and that doesn’t matter who is involved in the team or not, is to have a quiet environment where everyone is happy to work,” Verstappen said. He added that he never saw a time when Jos would not be part of his entourage at races.
(Photo: Andrej Isakovic / AFP via Getty Images)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
