Red Bull Suspends Employee At Center Of Investigation

March 7, 2024 11:16 am

Ford announced that it would be making its long-awaited return to Formula 1 racing last year as part of a new partnership with the Oracle Red Bull team, which it will team up with to produce power units starting in 2026. Such an endeavor is risky by Ford’s own admission, but it’s one that could also pay off big time if successful. However, a recent investigation into Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner gave the automaker something else to worry about, which prompted CEO Jim Farley to call for a speedy resolution, as well as more transparency with its automotive partner. Ultimately, Red Bull cleared Horner of any wrongdoing – which hasn’t prompted a response from Ford yet – and now, the team has suspended the employee at the center of the investigation, according to BBC News.

According to BBC, the woman who accused Horner of “inappropriate and controlling behavior” has been suspended by the Red Bull team following the conclusion of this investigation, which was conducted by an independent attorney. Horner has proclaimed his innocence from the start, though it’s still not entirely clear what, exactly, he was accused of aside from basic “misappropriate conduct.”

While Red Bull declined to comment on this suspension, BBC notes that the employee who raised these allegations was suspended because she was reportedly “dishonest.” An anonymous email surfaced following the conclusion of the investigation with messages that are purported to have come from Horner, but it’s unclear if those messages are genuine.

Meanwhile, Jos Verstappen – father of three-time world champion Red Bull driver Max Verstappen – noted that this controversy is “driving people apart” and is “not good for the team.” Max followed up those comments by saying that his father is “not a liar,” adding “I guess he clearly felt like that. But from my side it doesn’t matter being on one side or the other side. Of course as a son of my dad, it would be weird to be on a different side but I just want to focus on the performance side of things.”

We’ll have more on the fallout from this investigation soon, so sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford motorsports news and continuous Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.