RED Bull boss Christian Horner has gone public for the first time today as he prepares to face a roasting on D-Day over allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” towards staff.
Horner, 50, will fight to save his career at headquarters on Friday as sources say he could leave “next week” after he “lost support” from the team amid the investigation.
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Christian Horner was snapped leaving his Highgate home this morning – the first sighting since news of the allegations broke Credit: Ray Collins
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The Red Bull boss is facing an official investigation into his behavior towards a female colleague, with sources saying he has ‘lost support’ at the teamCredit: Getty
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His wife Geri Halliwell is ‘standing firmly by his side’ during the scandal which could reportedly see him leave ‘next week’Credit: PA
His future at the team could be decided next week as it is understood all parties want a conclusion before the launch of Red Bull’s 2024 car on February 15, reports The Telegraph.
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde is backing Horner to leave his championship-dominating team ahead of the unveiling of the RB20.
The former Sauber driver believes the nature of the as yet undisclosed allegations is a “stain” on Red Bull.
“Horner is of course internally controlled by Red Bull. Trust me, when that presentation comes next week, there’s no way Horner will be there presenting,” Van der Garde said on his DRS: De Race Show podcast.
read more on Christian Horner
“For Red Bull this is obviously dramatic and then they also have those presentations next week… but this is a stain on the name and the team,” he added.
Formula 1 was rocked on Monday by the news that Red Bull Austria is under investigation against the sport’s longest-serving team manager.
The parent company said that after being made aware of “certain recent allegations” it has engaged “outside, specialist counsel” to investigate the claims.
He allegedly compiled a “file of incriminating material” relating to “inappropriate and controlling behaviour” according to one female officer, The Telegraph reports.
Horner issued an immediate denial on Monday, stating: “I completely reject these claims.”
However, a report in Motorsport-Magazine claimed that Horner had “lost support” within Red Bull amid the ongoing investigation.
Insiders have claimed that the team manager could be temporarily replaced by Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley if he steps down.
“Whether the Thai side, which is traditionally close to Horner and holds 51 percent of Red Bull, will be able to save the Briton is likely to depend on the results of an independent investigation,” the report said.
Sources say the investigation will focus on employee concerns about Horner’s strict work schedule and not relate to any sexual impropriety.
An F1 source told The Sun: “Christian was concerned about her behavior and made it clear he was unhappy.
“She continued to complain about his ‘controlling’ behavior, which detonated this crisis for the team.”
Yesterday, a friend close to Horner said he was confident he would be acquitted.
“Christian is speaking privately and says he’s going to clear his name and get through this,” a source told the Daily Mail.
Horner – whose salary is estimated at £8m at Red Bull – has been preparing to start the 2024 season with his winning team managed by world champion Max Verstappen.
The first race starts in Bahrain on March 2.
Since Horner took over as team principal in 2005, Red Bull has won seven F1 world drivers’ championships and six world constructors’ titles.
‘Struggle for power’
His defenders reportedly claimed the allegations were part of a plot to oust him from the team amid an internal power struggle.
Rumors of unrelated internal problems within the team’s leadership have been circulating since the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022.
After the billionaire’s death, Red Bull put together a new board of directors to oversee the business.
Former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has been appointed CEO.
Despite Red Bull enjoying their most successful season in F1 history in 2023, there has been speculation of a rift between Horner and Helmut Mark, Red Bull GmBH’s motorsport adviser.
Rumors even went so far as to suggest that Horner was determined to get rid of Marko, 80, from the squad, reports the Telegraph.
However, a recent report in Motorsport-Magazin said: “The internal power struggle Horner instigated against Dr Helmut Marko is said to have nothing to do with the affair.
“Motorsport boss Dr. Marko reportedly has no ambitions to take over in Milton Keynes.”
Respected F1 journalist Joe Saward There has also been speculation over the future of Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey amid the Horner controversy.
He wrote on X/Twitter: “Christian Horner and Adrian Newey were long believed to have contracts protecting each other. If one goes, so can the other.”
A look at the life and career of Christian Horner
CHRISTIAN Horner is one of the most famous names in Formula 1 because he helped build Red Bull into one of the biggest teams in the sport.
1973 – Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
1991 – wins a Formula Renault scholarship after impressing in karting races
1993-1997 – Competed in a range of competitions including British Formula Three, British Formula Two and Formula 3000
1997 – Founded and developed F3000 team Arden
1999 – Retired from driving and continued to develop the Arden team
2005 – Appointed Red Bull team boss, becoming the youngest team manager at the time
2009 – Wins his first races as team principal with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
2010 – wins Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship with Vettel – the first of four consecutive two-seaters
2013 – Has a daughter with ex-wife Beverly Allen shortly before the couple split
2014 – Gets engaged to Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell
2015 – Marries Halliwell in Woburn, Bedfordshire
2017 – Horner and Halliwell welcome their son
2021 – Wins another Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen, beating Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season
2022-23 – Red Bull wins the Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship two years in a row
Gera’s shock
Horner’s Spice Girls wife Geri Halliwell, 51, is said to be devastated by the bombshell allegations – but will stand firm by her husband, whom she married in 2015.
Another source said: “[She is] not talking to anyone at the moment. It seems that Geri is just too upset to be in a relationship with anyone. Just a lot of tears.
“She’s going to stand by him and be there for him just like she always has. She never misses a race and that’s not going to change.”
Mum-of-two Halliwell reportedly switched off her phone on Monday after a series of cruel messages online, with fans demanding she leave her husband.
The glamorous couple married in Bedfordshire in 2015 and have one child together, seven-year-old Montague.
The racing boss is also stepfather to Halliwell’s daughter Bluebell Madonna, 17, and has another daughter, Olivia, 10, from a previous relationship with ex-partner Beverley Allen.
Another source told The Mail: “She is devoted to him with her whole being.”
However, the scandal engulfing her husband has created a “Grand Canyon-sized crack” right in the middle of her “super-perfect, super-posh life”, they claimed.
It followed reports that Geri was “in tears” while babysitting her children last weekend.
A source close to the singer told The Sun: “She insists Christian has done nothing wrong.”
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Horner will fight to save his career on Friday
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The Spice Girl is said to be devoted to Horner ‘with every bit of her being’
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The death of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022 reportedly sparked a power struggle at Red Bull
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Sources say the Ginger Spice star is refusing to speak to ‘anyone’ after news of the allegations broke
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