Red Bull has been going through a power struggle ever since Dietrich Mateschitz passed away. However, they managed to maintain performance and kept dominating the grid. The 49% owner of Red Bull GmbH passed away on October 22, 2022. Even then, there was no deterioration of performance. The Austrian outfit went on to win 17 races in 2022. Later, they followed their dominance in 2022 by winning 21 GPs in 2023. Clearly, the Milton Keynes team is enjoying the partnership of car designer Adrian Newey and the triple-time champion Max Verstappen. The Verstappen-Newey duo has worked miracles for the Austrian team. However, the parent company is dealing with a power struggle between the 80-year-old senior advisor, Helmut Marko, and the team principal of the F1 team, Christian Horner.
As per reports, the Thai Shareholders want Horner to be their new CEO. But the rest of the team might disagree. This power struggle was highlighted when Jos Verstappen publicly expressed his concern over Horner continuing to be the team boss. Later, Max Verstappen said his father is not a liar and he is loyal to Marko. This power struggle could have been enough for Horner to deal with. But things got messed up when a female employee of the Red Bull team accused Horner of “Inappropriate behavior.” It was a shock for the fans and the team initially. An internal investigation followed the shocking news. Later, Red Bull’s parent company fired the female employee. What was that all about?
Red Bull Female Employee Do About Her Case Against Christian Horner?
The Female employee can take her case to an employment tribunal. At first, she can try to appeal against the dismissal of her grievance. If that fails, she can go to tribunal. Recently, The Guardian reported that the actions of the female employee could possibly put the hitherto private details of the case. This case has affected the sport for over two months now. Late February saw, the parent company Red Bull GmbH announcing that the team principal has been “Cleared” of the allegations after an independent and private investigation. Later, the female employee launched an appeal against the decision. However, the parent company has not revealed any details of the investigation.
They did not even share the name of the KC who conducted the investigation. Moreover, the parent company stayed away from revealing the nature of the complaint. Neither did they release the findings of the inquiry because of confidentiality. Moreover, the Red Bull team principal has constantly denied any wrongdoing. Christian Horner also asked to draw a line under the matter. Now, if the Female employee takes the case to an employment tribunal, an anticipated process will follow. About that, Tania Goodman of Collyer Bristow, a law firm, told the Guardian that once the case goes to the tribunal, the confidentiality that was there with the internal procedures won’t apply any more.
What Happens When The Confidentiality Is No Longer Applicable?
The head of employment and a partner at Collyer Bristow, Tania Goodman, said that a final hearing is open to the public. This hearing will contain valuable information about the case, including witness evidence, the nature of the complaint, submissions, a written judgment, and also the employment tribunal’s conclusions.
Since Red Bull dismissed the female employee’s grievances, they have also suspended her from Red Bull Racing. A disciplinary investigation is still pending on the evidence she had given to the investigation. Previously, an anonymous source shared confidential mail with several F1 teams, the media, and F1 and FIA, revealing messages between her and Christian Horner.
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