Christian Horner – latest: Female accuser makes complaint to FIA after Red Bull appeal

Christian Horner’s accuser has appealed against the decision to clear the Red Bull team principal after allegations of controlling behaviour – and has reportedly made a complaint to the sport’s governing body, the FIA.

The female employee was suspended by Red Bull after an investigation dismissed the complainant’s grievance earlier this month. But now she has lodged a formal appeal with the F1 team’s parent company in the latest twist to a saga that has sparked speculation surrounding Max Verstappen’s future with the team, and the prospect of Red Bull staff leaving too.

The complainant was told she had acted dishonestly and received a legal letter, which gave her five working days on receipt of the letter, to appeal against the outcome of the investigation. The BBC also report that she has lodged a complaint with the FIA’s ethics committee.

After reports in the Austrian press that Horner could be fired prior to the Australian Grand Prix (24 March), Red Bull released the following statement:

“As Christian has said, he is grateful for the full support of the shareholders and that remains the case.”

“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.”

“It’s like anything in life, you can’t force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper,” Horner said after Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“If somebody didn’t want to be in this team, then we’re not going to force somebody against their will to be here.

“That applies whether it is a machine operator or a designer or someone in one of the support functions that runs through the business.”

First here’s a look back at what has happened so far:

The timing couldn’t have been more unfortunate. It was the day of the Brits, the awards show for which, back in 1997, Geri Halliwell sewed a Union Jack tea towel onto a black micro-mini dress, creating an image that would remain lodged in the national consciousness forever.

That Geri, the one with her knickers on display and blonde streaks in her flame-red hair, was cheeky, fun, supremely confident: the embodiment of the Girl Power message the Spice Girls promoted everywhere they went. Men were nice, they declared, but women didn’t need them to make their dreams come true. They could achieve that all by themselves – or, better still, in union with their female friends.

“No individual is bigger than the team,” he said after Saturday’s Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

“We have a phenomenal car. We’ve got one seat open for next year. I have probably got 16 drivers that are desperate to be in that car for next year.

“We have a strong relationship with Max. He’s done a wonderful job. His focus is very much on what he’s doing on track, and that’s where our focus is.”

Another day in Formula 1’s never-ending soap opera – and another day further away from a conclusion to a story which threatens to rip Red Bull, and the sport, apart.

To recap the latest developments, early on Thursday it emerged that the female colleague, who raised allegations of “inappropriate, coercive behaviour” against Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner which were cleared by an internal probe, had been suspended on full pay by Red Bull Racing.

While we don’t yet know the grounds for her suspension and whether it could be lifted, the optics of this situation, now, are beyond unpalatable. It is shocking that Formula 1 – a sport that has prided itself on making such strides on inclusivity and diversity in recent years – has allowed the matter to stretch to this point. The message it sends, on the eve of the all-female racing series F1 Academy starting its second season on International Women’s Day, is truly terrible.

Christian Horner said the “intrusion on my family is now enough” after he was cleared of any wrongdoing in an internal investigation following a female colleague’s complaint of “inappropriate behaviour”.

Hundreds of WhatsApp messages allegedly between Horner and the female colleague were leaked a day later.

It emerged on Thursday (7 March) that the accuser was suspended, on full pay, with the decision said to be taken as a result of the findings of the internal probe.

The 80-year-old Austrian Marko, an instrumental figure in Verstappen’s career, faces a Red Bull investigation following the probe into claims of “inappropriate behaviour” against Christian Horner.

Verstappen’s deal with Red Bull runs until 2028 and, when asked ahead of Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix if the Dutch driver will remain with the team, Mintzlaff replied: “Of course. He has a contract. Max is a great driver and hopefully we will win tonight. I am here just for racing. That’s it.”

Jos Verstappen admits that his son Max “doesn’t like questions” about the ongoing saga involving Red Bull boss Christian Horner – which he says will “take some time” to be resolved.

Horner was cleared of “inappropriate behaviour” after an internal investigation following a complaint from a female colleague, who has since been suspended by Red Bull Racing.

The accuser has appealed the decision with parent company Red Bull GmbH and has additionally lodged a complaint with F1’s governing body, the FIA.

Verstappen Snr, who has previously stated that Red Bull would “explode” if Horner stayed in his position, has clashed with the Red Bull F1 boss over the scandal and has previously expressed sympathy with the female accuser.

“It is necessary to regain calm in the team but given the circumstances it will take some time, I think,” he told Belgian outlet Sporza over the weekend, while competing in a rally event.

“I can’t say much about it. Hopefully they can concentrate on racing again soon because that’s what it’s all about.

“The important thing is that he [Max] keeps winning, whatever he does. The car is running very well and between the engineers and him there is also nothing wrong.

“Max can switch off a certain part, only he gets a lot of questions about it. He doesn’t like that but it’s part of Formula 1.”