RED Bull boss Christian Horner is used to managing personal crises himself.
The F1 boss (50), who is accused by a colleague of “controlling behaviour”, fell out with his parents after he left the mother of his first child and became engaged to Spice Girl Geri Halliwell (51).
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Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner with wife Geri Halliwell Credit: Getty
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Spice Girl Geri and Christian on their wedding day Credit: Splash News
His mum and dad didn’t attend the couple’s star-studded wedding in 2015, reportedly because they were upset about him dumping his partner of 14 years, Beverley Allen.
However, in the end, Christian managed to patch things up with Beverley and his parents.
The controversial Red Bull boss has also rowed with rival F1 bosses – and is reportedly in an ongoing feud with Mercedes racing boss Tot Wolff.
It stems from allegations that Red Bull breached budget rules and benefited from the breach when their driver Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 F1 championship.
Christian also had to overcome the failure of his own racing career, giving up at the age of 25.
He did this by borrowing money and putting his energy into starting his own team.
The hard-working team boss is said to have never missed a single day on the track, not even for the birth of his first child.
Now there are rumors of a power struggle within Red Bull, a struggle that could be Christian’s toughest yet.
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Christian with his ex Beverley Allen Credit: Desmond O’Neill Features Ltd
The Austrian firm has hired an independent lawyer to investigate claims of “inappropriate behaviour” by the F1 boss.
Multi-millionaire Christian has denied the allegations and is expected to stay on as boss while the investigation continues.
Geri Horner threw a celebrity-studded 50th birthday bash – but one Spice Girls didn’t attend
He will certainly do anything to retain his role, having once said: “I never struggle for motivation. Motivation is something that burns from within.
“I think winning becomes an addiction. All of us at Red Bull are driven by the fear of failure.
“Formula 1 is such a competitive business that you cannot afford to miss a beat.”
Guided dreams
Christian, from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, was born into the world of cars, his wealthy father Garry owning a company that supplied parts to engine manufacturers.
One of three brothers, he was privately educated and got the racing bug after persuading his parents to buy him a go-kart at the age of 11.
He said: “I left school at 18, I didn’t go to university, my focus was on racing and building a career as a driver.”
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Christian at the age of 20 at the beginning of his racing careerCredit: Getty
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Christian in the British Formula 3 at Silverstone in 1995. Credit: Getty
At the age of 19, he started competing for Manor Racing in the British Formula Renault Championship.
He made his way up to Formula F3000, which is considered the last step to Formula 1.
But when Juan Pablo Montoya, who had progressed to F1, passed him in a very fast corner, Christian realized that he did not have the right psychological mentality for this brave sport.
He admitted: “I knew my mind and my legs just couldn’t handle the commitment he had. I realized I wasn’t ready to take that risk.”
Team leader
At the age of 25, he stopped racing and focused on running the Arden team, which he had already founded using borrowed money.
Arden was briefly financed in part by the Russian oil company Lukoil, whose oligarch founder is currently on the UK sanctions list.
His success at Arden convinced Red Bull to make him the youngest ever F1 team boss in January 2005, with Christian only 31 years old.
I realized that I am not ready to take such a risk
Christian Horner
He proved to be a dynamic and committed boss.
Christian vowed to jump into the pool wearing only a Superman cape when the team achieved its first F1 podium, and he did just that after the car finished in the top three at Monaco in 2006.
Four years later Red Bull won their first F1 constructors’ and drivers’ championships, with a young Sebastian Vettel taking the title.
The family quarrels
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Christian and Geri met through a shared passion for F1Credit: Getty
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Geri’s daughter Bluebell (l), son Monty center and Christian’s daughter Olivia (d) Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Things appeared to be settled in his home life, with Christian living in a mansion in Northamptonshire with his ex-partner, pub landlady Beverley Allen, who is six years his senior.
He was stepfather to Beverley’s two children, Kieron, 35, and Liam, 31, and the couple were desperate to have a child of their own.
That dream came true when Beverley gave birth to Olivia in October 2013, although Christian couldn’t be there to see his daughter’s arrival as he was with Red Bull in Japan.
He said at the time: “I think being a father will be more of a challenge than leading a team of over 500 people, but I’m looking forward to it.”
But six months later Christian split from Beverley after 14 years together.
I think being a father will be more of a challenge than leading a team of over 500 people, but I’m looking forward to it
Christian Horner
Soon after, in March 2014, he was dating Geri, and by November the couple announced in The Times newspaper that they were engaged.
Geri has long been a fan of F1 and they met through a shared love of motorsport.
The stormy engagement surprised many, because neither Geri, who has a daughter Bluebell, now 17, from a previous relationship, nor Christian had previously left the altar.
This was not welcomed by Christian’s parents Garry and Sara, who refused to attend the wedding at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire in May 2015.
Before the wedding, a family member said: “It’s safe to say that his parents are completely devastated. We’re not going to the wedding.
“There’s a lot more to this story than people know – about his ex-partner.”
The healing process
But Christian managed to heal the family rift by re-establishing friendly relations with Beverley.
In an interview last year, he revealed: “I have a great relationship with Beverley and Beverley gets on with Geri and Geri is great with Olivia and Olivia has a great relationship with Monty.
– It is completely harmonious.
It’s safe to say that his parents are completely devastated. We’re not going to the wedding
Family member
Monty is Gera and Christian’s seven-year-old son. The couple live in a mansion in Oxfordshire with stables for 14 horses, and Geri is a devoted wife.
She said in 2015: “I cook for him, I like to see him happy. When I go to Formula 1 races, I’m not really into glamour.
“I never thought I would meet the man I knew I would always be with. I can be myself with him, I can exhale. I never want to get divorced.”
Trouble is ahead
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Christian jumped into the pool wearing only a Superman cape Credit: Twitter/Planet_F1
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Christian celebrates Red Bull’s 2012 championship success Credit: Getty Images – Getty
This relaxed family life contrasts with the stressful world of Formula 1.
Christian, who is said to be worth £41m, is known to swear and has admitted he is not on friendly terms with rival Wolff.
He said: “I never believed you could be your competitor’s best partner. I think that’s unfair.”
When Verstappen beat Hamilton for the 2021 F1 championship, he blurted out “Mercedes is f******ing up.”
Everything was looking rosy for Christian, who was awarded a CBE in December and was sung to on his 50th birthday by friends Gary Barlow, Sir Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.
His Red Bull Team dominated last year’s F1 Championship and are favorites to do the same this year.
I never believed that you could be the best match with your competitor. I think that’s unfair
Christian Horner
But the death of his mentor and Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022 is rumored to have sparked a power struggle.
Following the billionaire’s death, Red Bull has put together a new board of directors to oversee the business, with former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff appointed as 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 went so far that Horner was determined to get rid of Marko (80) from the team, reports the Telegraph.
The former professional driver has overseen Red Bull’s driver development program since 2005 and was the driving force behind bringing Verstappen to the team.
But the speculation has been toned down, with Horner only admitting that there was a “slight difference of opinion” between him and Mark.
Red Bull are now investigating allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” against Christian, with an internal investigation reportedly leaving Geri in “floods of tears”.
Last night she stood by her husband, telling her friends that she doesn’t believe the rumors that have been circulating for days.
Red Bull issued a statement saying: “After becoming aware of certain recent allegations, the company has launched an independent investigation.
“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practicable. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
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 boss ever
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 title with Max Verstappen, overtaking 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
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Christian with friends from the show on his 50th birthday Credit: Instagram
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Geri and Christian on vacation Credit: Instagram
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Christian and Geri have horse stables at homeCredit: Instagram
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Christian with Geri and her Spice Girl friends, along with Rylan
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