Christian and Geri spotted in unseen Netflix F1 footage during 'sexting' investigation
NEWLY released photos show controversial Red Bull Racing chief Christian Horner enjoying his wife Geri Halliwell at home.
Netflix cameras captured the couple celebrating Christmas for the new season of Drive to Survive – before allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” were made against the F1 boss.
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Horner's future as leader of world champion Verstappen's all-conquering team has been thrown into doubt following the bomb claims.
The 50-year-old Red Bull Racing boss has strongly denied any claims that threaten his position.
Horner was initially only investigated for alleged controlling behavior at work towards a female employee.
But in recent days, new claims allege Horner also sent her “sexually suggestive” text messages.
For Netflix's latest season of Drive to Survive, cameras went to Horner and Spice Girl Geri's dream home in Oxfordshire in December 2022.
The couple, who married in 2015, can be seen relaxing in the festively decorated lounge during a preview of the show.
Santa Claus then appears and asks their children Monty and Olivia if their father “had been good this year”.
Olivia responds, “Let me think about that.”
Geri then points out that he “won a championship” with Red Bull that year.
In another scene, Horner is seen talking to Geri about Daniel Ricciardo after the driver failed to secure a place on the grid for 2023.
The cameras also follow Horner off the race track to Red Bull Racing's annual charity shoot, which he organised.
Filming for the season, which premieres tomorrow, was completed long before the allegations against Horner were revealed this month, prompting an investigation by Red Bull.
Geri, 51, was moved to tears when news of the scandal broke but has privately insisted he did nothing wrong.
Horner publicly addressed the allegations against him for the first time during the launch of the RB20 last week.
He said: “Inevitably there have been distractions but the team is very much together.
“Everyone is focused on the season ahead, so it was very normal and the support was fantastic.
“In situations like this you see where the strengths lie, and the support I have had from the team has been overwhelming.
The bombshell claims that have turned F1 upside down
F1 was rocked earlier this month by the sudden news that the sport's longest-serving team boss had been placed under investigation by Red Bull's Austrian-based parent company.
This was thought to be about a 'file containing incriminating material' about 'inappropriate and controlling behaviour' towards a woman, The Telegraph reported.
Red Bull's Austrian parent company sent an independent lawyer to Britain to question the multimillionaire and his accuser.
The former racing driver, who leads world champion Max Verstappen's all-conquering Red Bull team, endured an eight-hour grilling over the claims last week.
However, more allegations have recently emerged The Telegraph reported that Horner allegedly sent sex messages to his employee “over an extended period of time.”
Messages were allegedly saved and presented as evidence to the outside lawyer who led the investigation after the woman filed a complaint last December.
Mr Horner categorically denied the new allegations and would take legal action against De Telegraaf.
An F1 source told The Sun last week that “Christian has not been fired or asked to resign and he has no intention of resigning.”
The investigation raises the question of who could take over the helm of world champion Max Verstappen's all-conquering racing team.
His wife Geri Halliwell is also said to be “terrified that her life will unravel” amid Horner's investigation into “inappropriate behaviour”.
The ex-Spice Girl, who “burst into tears” when the Red Bull boss was hit with the allegations, fears the drama will drag on for years, a source claims.
But Geri, 51, is believed to have her husband's back.
She has told friends: “Christian did nothing wrong.”
Horner has had an enormous period of success for the racing team: he won several F1 championships with Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen.
Red Bull has won seven Formula 1 Drivers' World Championships and six Constructors' World Championships under Horner's leadership.
Last season the team won 21 of the 22 races on the global F1 tour, with 26-year-old Verstappen winning the drivers' crown.
Horner received a CBE for services to motorsport in the 2024 New Year's Honors List.
“There have been some allegations made, which I completely deny, so the background investigation is ongoing as we prepare for the upcoming season, and will hopefully be completed in the near future.”
Ford is said to have put pressure on their future partners at Red Bull Racing to investigate the outcome “seriously but quickly”.
Reports say this could mean Horner could learn his fate much sooner than originally expected.
Horner had hoped the investigation would be resolved before the team flew to Bahrain this week for pre-season testing.
Yesterday he looked carefree as he smiled and chatted with his team in the Middle East.
Horner arrived in the Gulf Kingdom on Wednesday overnight to see star driver Max Verstappen test the RB20 for the first time on an F1 track.
He is also expected to attend a press conference at the test event along with other F1 bosses.
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The life and career of Christian Horner
CHRISTIAN Horner is one of the best-known names in Formula 1 and has 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 kart racing
1993-1997 – Participates in numerous competitions including British Formula Three, British Formula Two and Formula 3000
1997 – Founded and developed the F3000 team Arden
1999 – Retires from driving and continues development of the Arden team
2005 – Appointed head of the Red Bull team, becoming the youngest team boss ever at the time
2009 – Wins his first races as team boss with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
2010 – Wins the Constructors' Championship and Drivers' Championship with Vettel – the first of four doubles in a row
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, leaving Lewis Hamilton behind in the final round of the season
2022-2023 – Red Bull wins the Drivers' Championship and the Constructors' Championship two years in a row