SAKHIR, Bahrain — Red Bull Formula One boss Christian Horner refused to comment Thursday on “anonymous speculation” after numerous media outlets were anonymously sent text messages that the leaker framed to be related to an investigation that cleared Horner of wrongdoing in interactions with an employee.
Red Bull Racing’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, organized an outside investigation into a grievance made against Horner by a female employee, who accused him of inappropriate behavior. Horner denied the allegations.
Red Bull GmbH announced on Wednesday that Horner had been cleared and the grievance had been dismissed, with the complainant retaining a right to appeal. Additionally, Red Bull GmbH said that the findings were “confidential” and that it would “not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned.”
But Horner now faces fresh scrutiny after a number of messages alleged to be between him and a woman were emailed to media outlets, F1 team principals and broadcasters midway through the second practice for Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix. The Athletic was among the news organizations to receive an email with the subject line “Christian Horner investigation evidence.”
The message included a link to a batch of 79 files. The Athletic has not been…
