RED BULL SUSPEND WOMAN WHO ACCUSED CHRISTIAN HORNER OF INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR

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 The Red Bull team principal, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Horner, is due to be back in the spotlight in an official FIA press conference in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, where the next Grand Prix takes place.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner's accuser has been suspended following the investigation into a claim of inappropriate behaviour against the Formula 1 team principal, Sky News understands.

This story is now outdated, Christian Horner has said the "intrusion on my family is now enough" while speaking at a news conference. Read the story here.

Horner, who has always denied the allegations against him, was cleared of misconduct by the F1 team's Austrian parent company Red Bull GmbH last week.

It is understood his female accuser, who is believed to have reported in for work in Milton Keynes on Monday, has been suspended on full pay as a direct result of Red Bull's inquiry.

A Red Bull Racing spokesperson said: "We are unable to comment as it is an internal matter."

Following last weekend's season-opening race in Bahrain, in which Red Bull cars came first and second, Horner said he was "absolutely confident" he would stay on as the team's boss for the remainder of the season.

The 50-year-old, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Horner, is due to be back in the spotlight in an official FIA press conference at 6.30pm local time (3.30pm UK time) in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

His accuser is believed to have received a legal letter at the beginning of this week and now has five working days to appeal against the outcome of the investigation which has cast an enormous shadow over Red Bull and the sport.

A statement from Red Bull GmbH last Wednesday 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.

"Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.

"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."

The latest development comes days after the father of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, a three-time world champion, said the team was in danger of being "torn apart" if Horner remained in his position.

Jos Verstappen told The Daily Mail: "There is tension here while he remains in position... It can't go on the way it is (the team) will explode."

It came after Horner said he could not comment when asked about alleged evidence in the case which was leaked to numerous media organisations and F1 team principals from an anonymous email account.

He described the leak, which claimed to show WhatsApp messages shared between him and the accuser, as "anonymous speculative messages from an unknown source".

The leak emerged after the Red Bull team principal had been cleared in the case.

Horner has earlier said his wife has been "very supportive" since the allegation was made and he had been "overwhelmed" by messages of goodwill from within the sport.

He has been Red Bull team principal since they entered Formula 1 19 years ago and is the longest-serving boss on the grid.

During that period he has overseen seven drivers' world championships and six constructors' titles.

- Sky Sports 

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HORNER AFFAIR: MINTZLAFF ALREADY WANTED TO TERMINATE HIM!

A magazine publishes an explosive story that meticulously documents the affair surrounding Christian Horner - who was almost fired by Red Bull.

(Motorsport-Total.com) - The affair surrounding Christian Horner, the team boss of Red Bull Racing, is not coming to an end. After a highly explosive data leak became known , which was leaked to hundreds of people in the Formula 1 paddock on the sidelines of the season opener in Bahrain, a story that contains new explosive material is now appearing in the March issue of the industry magazine BusinessF1 .

On 17 pages, the Horner affair is detailed in detail and, among other things, the name of the employee who made the allegations against Horner is mentioned for the first time. It is told how the woman collapsed on the sidelines of a racing weekend and, crying, told colleagues for the first time about her boss's transgressive behavior.

Many of the details of the story weigh heavily on Horner. If they are true, it is hard to imagine that the 50-year-old will survive the affair as team boss of Red Bull Racing. However, it is important to note: As of today, many of the details are difficult to clearly verify, which is why our editorial team is refraining from publishing them.

What can be verified, however, is an exciting sub-strand of the story that casts Red Bull GmbH's handling of the Horner affair in a completely new light. As is well known, Formula 1 team bosses such as Toto Wolff and Zak Brown in Bahrain had publicly criticized the non-transparent handling of the matter .

It was on the morning of February 2nd, just one day after the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, that the next earthquake began to emerge in Formula 1. The decision-making level at Red Bull GmbH in Fuschl had already become aware of the allegations made by Horner's personal assistant weeks ago, discussed them intensively - and came to the conclusion that morning that Horner's behavior was impossible to reconcile with the company's code of conduct is.