Christian Horner’s accuser has been left feeling ‘angry and upset’ after the Red Bull team principal was cleared of inappropriate behaviour earlier this month. An internal Red Bull investigation saw the claims made against Horner dismissed, but the accuser has now lodged a complaint with the sport’s governing body.
It’s been a mixed start to the F1 season for Red Bull. On the track, they’ve been up to their usual lofty standards, with Max Verstappen having won both races of the season so far. On top of that, the Austrian constructor have also recorded consecutive one-two finishes, with Verstappen’s team-mate, Sergio Perez, finishing second in the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs.
Off the track though, it’s been a different story. The team’s build-up to the campaign was shrouded in controversy surrounding Horner, who had been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a Red Bull employee. The claims were eventually dismissed following an investigation, with the accuser having been suspended on full pay.
As a result, the accuser remains unimpressed by the outcome of the Red Bull probe and has now reportedly filed a complaint against Horner to the FIA. According to The Sun, the woman is hoping the case is taken up by the FIA’s ethics committee, but the F1 governing body hasn’t yet decided whether to investigate Horner any further.
Horner had spoken out about the claims last month, saying: “Obviously there has been a lot of coverage surrounding this, but one has to go back to the basis of a grievance was raised, it was fully investigated, and it was dismissed. From there we move onwards.
“I think an awful lot has been made out of this. Obviously it has been of great interest in different elements of the media for different reasons. I think the time now is to look forward and draw a line under it.”
But given the latest development, it appears Horner and co. will have to wait a little longer for a line to be drawn underneath, should the FIA take up the accuser’s complaint. In the meantime though, Red Bull’s attention will soon switch to the Australian GP, which is scheduled for next weekend.
And while things behind the scenes may be rocky for Red Bull, given their start to the season on the track, the constructor will remain confident of picking up two more podium finishes in Melbourne. Verstappen registered his first victory at Albert Park last year, with the Dutch driver heavy favourite to go back-to-back next weekend.
