- The Red Bull employee appealed the ruling more than four months ago
- Despite the investigation, she remains employed, but has been suspended since March
- Red Bull issued a short statement in response to the appeal’s conclusion
Christian Horner has been acquitted for the second time in the Red Bull scandal that has plagued Formula 1 this season.
An internal appeal procedure at the world champion team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, in Salzburg, has been completed. He was acquitted by a second KC of inappropriate conduct towards a female employee.
The complainant, who is still employed, has been suspended since March.
A statement from Red Bull said: ‘The complainant has exercised his right of appeal and the appeal has been submitted by another independent QC. All stages of the appeal process have now been completed, with the final outcome being that the appeal is not upheld.
‘The conclusions of the KC have been accepted and adopted by Red Bull.
Christian Horner has been cleared after an internal investigation into his conduct at the start of the Formula 1 season
‘The internal process has been completed.’
Horner, the 50-year-old husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, was initially cleared of coercive behaviour ahead of the season-opening race in Bahrain.
A series of messages allegedly between Horner and the female employee were explosively leaked to Formula 1 bosses and the media in Bahrain, in which it was alleged that he had made sexually suggestive comments to the employee. The veracity of the exchanges has not been verified.
A Red Bull insider indicated that the woman’s statement was unreliable and indicated that her appeal was therefore unsuccessful.