FIA issues statement after Red Bull boss Christian Horner's accuser reportedly files grievance with the governing body

FIA has chimed in on Red Bull team principal Christian Horner's controversy as it looks to clear the air surrounding the appeal put forth by the female complainant.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit suffered massive instability in the paddock as a female employee accused Horner of inappropriate behavior towards her. The dust was supposedly settled as Red Bull GmbH "dismissed" the case after an internal investigation, giving the team principal a clean chit.

Just after that verdict, an anonymous mail containing alleged screenshots of the conversation between Horner and the accuser gave an unexpected twist to the fiasco. The aftermath saw grave speculation about reigning world champion Max Verstappen's move to Mercedes, as his father, Jos, expressed his concern about the team being 'torn apart' if Horner didn't resign.

However, the situation went south when Red Bull suspended the female employee who filed a plea against the longest-serving team principal in F1 for supposed inconsistencies with the evidence presented by her.

Following her paid moratorium, the employee apparently challenged the HQ's decision and appealed against Horner to the governing body of motorsports, the FIA. However, per F1 presenter Jennie Gow's X (formerly Twitter) post, the FIA has taken a different stance, concealing the know-how of the alleged complaint as they didn't give a definite conclusion.

As per Gow, the FIA statement reads:

"At the FIA, enquiries and complaints are received and managed by the Compliance Officer, and the Ethics Committee where appropriate. Both the bodies operate autonomously, guaranteeing strict confidentiality throughout the process."

"As a consequence, and in general, we are unable to confirm the receipt of any specific complaint and it is unlikely that we will be able to provide further comment on the complaints that we may receive from the parties," the statement added.

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Christian Horner gives his take on the potentially vacant 2025 Red Bull seat

The 2023 F1 year witnessed Sergio Perez securing the P2 spot in the driver's standings behind Max Verstappen in P1. Even though Checo bagged the second spot on the podium, he was still 290 points off Verstappen's record tally (575).

Considering that both the drivers had the same RB19s to tame on the tracks, the stark difference between their performance jeopardized the Mexican's future with the Austrian company.

Furthermore, a deficit of +22.457 seconds at the season-opener Bahrain GP and of +13.643 seconds at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit failed to showcase a significant sign of improvement.

Perez's contract is up for renewal in 2025 and, according to Christian Horner, a dozen drivers on the paddock are eyeing the potentially vacant seat. The Red Bull team principal said (via Motorsport Week):

“We have a phenomenal car. We’ve got one seat open for next year. I’ve probably got 16 drivers that are desperate to be in that car for next year...Checo is in pole position. It’s his seat to lose."