The female employee currently suspended by Red Bull after accusing Christian Horner of inappropriate behaviour wants to return to work at the F1 team. That’s despite the woman, who has not been named, currently appealing against the decision to clear Horner, 50, following an internal investigation.
According to a report in the Independent, she intends to return to her position irrespective of the outcome. Furthermore, the complainant is also reportedly set to take her case to an employment tribunal should the initial decision to clear Horner be upheld.
She also filed a separate complaint to the FIA, but F1’s governing body are yet to send an official response or publicly comment on the matter. The accuser was suspended following the conclusion of the original hearing, but has remained on full pay.
A day after the team principal was cleared of wrongdoing, a host of messages allegedly sent by the Englishman to the complainant were leaked. Screenshots duly went viral on social media, with Horner himself refusing to comment on the development.
He has frequently denied any wrongdoing, and continued to work in his role amid the investigation. And speaking in Saudi Arabia last month after being cleared, he called for an end to the saga and insisted he retains the support of his family, with wife Geri Halliwell flying out to the previous race in Bahrain in an apparent show of support.
He has frequently denied any wrongdoing, and continued to work in his role amid the investigation. And speaking in Saudi Arabia last month after being cleared, he called for an end to the saga and insisted he retained the support of his family, with wife Geri Halliwell flying out to the previous race in Bahrain in an apparent show of support.
“The reality is there was a grievance that was raised, it was dealt with in the most professional manner by the group, not Red Bull Racing but the parent company, they appointed one of the top barristers in the land,” he argued. “He looked at everything. He looked at all the facts and he looked at the case and dismissed the grievance.
“As far as I’m concerned, my wife has been phenomenally supportive throughout this. But the intrusion on my family is now enough. We need to move forward. Obviously there’s been an awful lot of coverage surrounding this. But one has to go back to the basis that a grievance was raised, it was investigated, and it was dismissed.”
Despite another strong start to the F1 season though, the saga has strained relations within the Red Bull team. Horner is reportedly at odds with chief advisor Helmut Marko, with the pair said to be central to an internal power struggle.
Jos Verstappen, the father of reigning world champions Max, has also called for the team principal to leave his role. Significantly, the driver himself refused to dispute his father’s words, with the pair having since held talks with Horner in a bid to resolve the situation.