Christian Horner to stay on as Red Bull chief after being cleared of alleged misconduct

Red Bull has confirmed that Christian Horner will remain in charge of its champion Formula 1 team after an investigation cleared him of alleged misconduct toward a team employee.

Horner will stay on as chief executive and team principal after the announcement, which came three days before the first race of the season.

“The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr. Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial,” the Red Bull parent company said in a statement.

"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.

Red Bull won all but one race last season and its driver Max Verstappen is the three-time defending champion.

Horner had remained in his post during the investigation as part of what he called a “business as normal” approach, and was in charge of the team for preseason tests last week, even as he admitted the investigation was a distraction.