Red Bull suspends employee who accused team boss Christian Horner

The Red Bull employee who accused Christian Hornerboss of the Formula 1 team, for “inappropriate behavior”, was suspended after the Briton was acquitted at the end of an internal investigation, a source close to the case informed AFP.

The employee who accused Horner of “inappropriate behavior” has been suspended, this source explained, specifying that this suspension was a direct consequence of the internal investigation now closed.

“Red Bull cannot make any comment on the individual situation of a company employee,” commented the world champion team on Thursday, the day of the first free practice of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.

After an internal investigation whose opening was announced on February 5, the board of directors of the Austrian firm rejected this employee's complaint last Wednesday and maintained its confidence in the team's boss with a workshop in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

This decision was criticized for the lack of transparency in the process, especially by rival teams. The following day, an anonymous email containing messages supposedly implicating Horner was sent to several media representatives covering Formula 1, motor sport officials, or rival teams.

The content of that email could not be independently verified. At the end of the past Bahrain Grand Prixwon by the triple world champion Max Verstappenhis father Jos Verstappen claimed that the team was going to “explode” if Horner kept his job.

The Briton, who has always denied the alleged facts, said he was convinced after the opening GP of the season that his position was not threatened by the consequences of the investigation.

'Concentrate solely on the track'

This Thursday, within the framework of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix In Jeddah, Christian Horner was asked about the matter again.

“There was a complaint, it was closely examined and it was rejected. From there, we must move on to something else (…) It is time to concentrate on the track, on the performance of the cars and the drivers. Towards that “The spotlight should be on a Grand Prix weekend,” declared the historic 'Main Team' of the Austrian team.

On several occasions, Horner also asked for the attacks affecting his family to stop. “This moment has been very unfortunate. I am married, I have three children and when your children are involved and your marriage is scrutinized (…) it is something that is not right. I am fortunate to have a wonderful family and a wife [la cantante Geri Halliwell, exintegrante del grupo Spice Girls] who has supported me a lot. Enough of involving my family, we have to move on to something else and focus on why we are here,” he insisted.

Horner also stated that the Red Bull team is very united and indicated that he had spoken with Jos Verstappen. “Obviously, I am aware of the statements that have been made. There was a conversation after the race [del pasado fin de semana en Baréin] and we all want to move forward.

I think everyone is thinking about the future, the team is focused on defending our two world titles (…) We did a double, the best lap and pole position in Bahrain. “You cannot have results like that with a team that is not united,” he said.

AFP