The FIA issued a statement Saturday saying it “cannot confirm” the receipt of complaints or the identities behind them after it was reported that the female employee linked to the Red Bull Christian Horner investigation allegedly lodged a complaint with the governing body.
Ahead of the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain, Horner was exonerated from allegations made by a female employee once Red Bull reviewed the findings from an external barrister.
The complainant had been granted access to appeal, which they have exercised following suspension with pay.
BBC Sport reports that the female complainant had previously lodged complaints with the FIA on two occasions.
The first came on February 2 and was made to the FIA ethics and compliance hotline, allegedly directly referencing Horner’s behaviour towards a female employee.
A second complaint was made on March 6 in reference to the first and threatened a whistleblower would leak information to the media.
In response to these reports, F1’s governing body said: “At the FIA, enquiries and complaints are received and managed by the Compliance Officer, and the Ethics Committee where appropriate.
“Both 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 any parties.”
