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Red Bull said the complaint against Formula One team boss Christian Horner had been dismissed after a barrister-led investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour against a female employee.
The energy drinks company, which owns the F1 team, said on Wednesday that the grievance had been “dismissed” after completion of the investigation undertaken by a KC. The complainant can still appeal against the decision, Red Bull said.
The allegations rocked the sport ahead of the first race of the season in Bahrain that takes place in early March, casting uncertainty over the reigning F1 champions and Horner’s own future.
Red Bull said it was “confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial”.
It added that the report was confidential and that it would not be commenting further “out of respect for all concerned”.
The complainant did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Austrian energy drinks company Red Bull, which also has interests in football and extreme sports, launched a probe into Horner’s behaviour earlier this month, in response to what it called “certain recent allegations”. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Ford, which is planning to re-enter F1 in 2026 in partnership with Red Bull Racing, had called for the matter to be resolved quickly and in a “transparent” manner.
Horner, 50, has led the team since early 2005, shortly after its inception. During his tenure, Red Bull has won six constructors championships — which measure the performance of the entire team — and seven drivers titles.
Last year he masterminded the most dominant performance in the sport’s history. Max Verstappen won 19 of the season’s 22 races; his teammate Sergio Pérez another two.
A former racing driver, Horner became the youngest team principal in the sport’s history at the age of 31, and has been a close friend of former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone ever since.
He became a high-profile figure beyond the world of motorsport following his marriage to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, and was one of the stars of the hit Netflix documentary Drive to Survive. The behind-the-scenes TV show helped boost the popularity of F1 in the US market and attracted a large new audience of young female racing fans.
Investment has been pouring into F1 teams on the back of its US success. Forbes estimates the Red Bull team is worth $2.6bn.
“My job is to push as hard as I can for the best interests of this team [and] if I wasn’t doing that I wouldn’t be doing my job properly,” Horner once told the Financial Times of his approach.