(Reuters) – An employee has lost her appeal against Red Bull Formula One team boss Christian Horner being cleared of accusations of inappropriate behaviour, the energy drink company said on Thursday.
The unidentified employee, who was suspended in March, appealed after her original complaint was dismissed following an investigation by an independent lawyer that cleared Horner.
Horner, whose team are currently leading both championships, had denied the accusations.
The team’s Austria-based Red Bull parent company said in a statement that the appeal was carried out by another independent King’s Counsel (senior lawyer), who was not named.
“All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded, with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld,” it added. “The KC’s conclusions have been accepted and adopted by Red Bull. The internal process has concluded.”
Horner, who is married to Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, is the longest serving team boss but was caught in a media storm when the story broke in February before the start of the season.
Red Bull have been unsettled this season, with star designer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley announcing their departures.
The future of triple world champion Max Verstappen has also been much discussed, with Mercedes making overtures to the Dutch driver whose father Jos has been outspoken against Horner.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in Paris, editing by Christian Radnedge)
