Red Bull issues statement in Christian Horner's alleged employee misconduct investigation

The appeal made by the Red Bull employee for the alleged misconduct by Christian Horner has not been upheld as the investigation comes to an end. The Austrian team has issued a statement, conveying that the complainant had exercised her right to appeal against the original investigation done by the team itself.

As part of the appeal, the entire case was to be investigated by a different independent KC (King's Counsel), and the decision appears not to be in favor of the complainant. The entire furor first kicked off early in the year when reports came out that Christian Horner was being investigated by Red Bull for alleged inappropriate behavior with a fellow employee.

After Red Bull's independent investigation, the complaint was dismissed, and Christian Horner was declared not guilty. The employee, however, exercised her right to appeal. The investigation has now been concluded and the appeal has not been upheld.

An official statement issued by Red Bull read:

"Earlier this year a complaint raised against Christian Horner was investigated. That complaint was dealt with through the company's grievance procedure by the appointment of an independent KC who dismissed the grievance. The complainant exercised the right to appeal, and the appeal was carried out by another independent KC."

"All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded, with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld. 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."

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Red Bull-Christian Horner employee misconduct saga

The entire saga began a few weeks before pre-season testing, and reports revealed that Horner was being investigated for improper conduct against an employee. Soon after, swarms of reports from publications started to suggest that the team boss was on the verge of losing his job within the team.

What followed was a surprising situation where Horner was under attack from within his team. While the case continued on one side, Max Verstappen's father Jos Verstappen was involved in an animated conversation with Horner in Bahrain.

A few days before Bahrain, the internal investigation at Red Bull concluded and the team cleared Horner of any wrongdoing. The saga, however, didn't end there, alleged evidence regarding the case was leaked to the other top team principals, the FOM and the FIA president, and the media present in the paddock.

The evidence allegedly included WhatsApp screenshots of conversations between Christian Horner and another person (assumed to be the complainant). While nothing came out of it, it was during this time that the Red Bull employee exercised her right to appeal with a different and independent KC.

With the decision being upheld, this might be the end of the entire saga involving the Red Bull boss.