The woman who accused Christian Horner of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ was not given access to the entire report that cleared the Red Bull team principal.
Horner was cleared by Red Bull after a month-long investigation following the accusations made by a female employee of the Formula 1 champions.
In a statement, the team said: ‘The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal.
‘Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
‘The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned.’
There has been great concern about the lack of transparency regarding the investigation, with Red Bull and Horner, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, refusing to comment any more on the matter.
However, it appears that not even the complainant herself has been given full access to the 150 page dossier that was compiled by the independent KC in charge of the investigation.
A source has told The Sun: ‘She has not been allowed to see the whole of the report which cleared Horner and has no clarity as to why the inquiry reached its decision.
‘A timetable for her appeal process is being drawn up.’
It is also that this has left the complainant ‘unhappy and upset’, which follows reports that she is ‘disappointed’ and feels ‘very let down’ by Red Bull after they suspended her on full pay last week.
Curiously, a spokesman for Horner said that the 50-year-old had not seen the complete dossier either.
This comes just after the complainant has decided to appeal the decision to clear Horner, which will now prolong the saga that has cast a dark shadow over the start of the 2024 season.
Just 24 hours after he was cleared, texts and images seemingly related to the probe were leaked, while the scandal has ignited a civil war within Red Bull, with Max Verstappen’s father Jos publicly calling for Horner to be sacked.
As well as appealing her case, the accuser has lodged an official complaint about Horner’s behaviour to the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, according to BBC Sport.
It is the third such complaint that has been made against Horner and Red Bull over the past two months.
Responding to these reports, the FIA said: ‘Enquiries and complaints are received and managed by the compliance officer, and the ethics committee where appropriate.
‘Both bodies operate autonomously, guaranteeing strict confidentiality throughout the process.
‘As a consequence, and in general, we are unable to confirm the receipt of any specific complaint and it is unlikely that we will be able to provide further comment on the complaints that we may receive from any parties.'
A spokesperson from Red Bull Racing stated that they did not know about the complaint.
.
.
