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Christian Horner Update: Troubles for Red Bull Boss Still Not Over Despite Dismissed Allegations

Nischay Rathore
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Christian Horner Update: Troubles for Red Bull Boss Still Not Over Despite Dismissed Allegations

After a lengthy investigation, Red Bull dismissed the case alleging sexual misconduct against Christian Horner. The parent company, Red Bull GmbH, made the announcement a day before the start of the Bahrain GP race weekend. However, a finer reading of the statement also suggests that the Red Bull team boss’ troubles might just not be over yet.

As per Sky Sports F1, the statement from Red Bull GmbH read, “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.”

Through the statement, Red Bull also communicated its confidence in the fairness of the investigation. However, they refuse to divulge any information related to the investigation. That is to maintain secrecy over the identity of the complainant and the witnesses.

However, the complainant, as per Red Bull, still has the right to appeal the verdict. Does the company have an internal appellate authority or did the statement simply refer to the right of the complainant to seek redressal as per the law of the land, remains to be seen.

Either way, Horner might have to undergo scrutiny once again if the complainant chooses to appeal. Worst case scenario- the appellate authority could find him guilty of the charges levied against him. In such a case, will the parent company sack Horner from his position as team principal and the CEO of Red Bull Racing? Simply put, this saga is far from over and might stretch over through the Formula 1 racing calendar.

How the Christian Horner investigation panned out

The verdict on the Horner investigation arrived earlier today. Red Bull was reportedly keen on disposing of the matter before the start of the F1 season in Bahrain. The murmurs over the dismissal of the grievance picked up hours before the official confirmation, though.

Horner took a private flight to Bahrain, which stopped in Austria, reportedly to pick up Helmut Marko. The confirmation of the flight’s destination being Bahrain was enough for a section of the media to conclude what the verdict of the case was.

The saga began on February 5 when Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf made the allegations public. Following the leak, Red Bull issued a statement confirming the news, while also revealing the institution of an independent investigation. The said investigation was taken over by a legal expert hired from outside the organization.

After recording the complainant’s statement, the investigator called in Horner for examination. The complainant had reportedly submitted the evidence that included screenshots of her chat with Horner by then.

Post Edited By:Tanish Chachra

About the author

Nischay Rathore

Nischay Rathore

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Nischay Rathore is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush with over a thousand articles under his belt. An avid Ayrton Senna admirer, Nischay embarked on his sports journalism journey despite completing graduation in Law. When not covering the high-speed thrills of the pinnacle of motorsport, he can be seen enjoying crime thrillers and 90s gangster movies with a hearty bowl of buttery popcorn.

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