Red Bull Racing F1 team suspends female staffer at centre of Christian Horner claims

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, right, with Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico at the pits during a Formula One pre-season test. Photo / AP

The woman who accused Red Bull Racing chief Christian Horner of inappropriate behaviour has been suspended from her role at the Formula One team, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Her suspension comes days after the company said it had cleared Horner of wrongdoing following a barrister-led probe.

The employee did not respond to messages seeking comment. Red Bull Racing declined to comment.

The allegations have rocked the racing team and the wider sport, overshadowing the start of the new F1 season and drawing scrutiny to Horner and the team’s leadership.

Red Bull, the Austrian energy drinks company that owns the team, has neither published the findings of the investigation into Horner nor revealed the identity of the barrister who led it.

It is unclear whether the staff member will appeal against the decision to dismiss her grievance.

Horner, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, is one of the most recognisable people in the paddock.

The Red Bull team principal, who has played a leading role in the Netflix-F1 reality series Drive to Survive, has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Ahead of the Saudi Grand Prix in Jeddah this weekend, Horner declined to comment on the suspension of the employee.

“I can’t comment on anything that’s confidential between an employee and the company,” Horner said in a press conference on Thursday.

Horner reiterated that the grievance had been “fully investigated and it was dismissed”.

“An awful lot has been made out of this,” he added. “The time now is to look forward and to draw a line under it. We’re here to go racing.”

Despite Horner’s call to draw a line under the matter, power unit partner Honda weighed in on Thursday.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner emphatically denied behaving inappropriately. Photo / Don Kennedy

“We do not have full details on the matter at this point, therefore Honda are not in a position to make any detailed comment,” Honda said in a statement.

“We look forward to full clarity as soon as possible.”

A day after Red Bull said the grievance against Horner had been dismissed, members of the media and senior figures in motorsport received a cache of messages last week allegedly exchanged by Horner and the woman.

Horner has declined to confirm their veracity. He has said that he fully co-operated with the investigation.

Written by: Samuel Agini in London. Additional reporting by Peter Campbell.

© Financial Times