Geri Halliwell ‘skips first F1 race’ as she is ‘flattened’ by Horner ‘sext’ probe
GERI Halliwell is set to skip the first F1 race of the season after being ‘flattened’ by the ‘sext’ investigation into her husband Christian Horne, her friends claim.
The 50-year-old Red Bull Racing boss is at the center of an internal investigation by the team into his alleged behavior towards a female colleague.
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He strongly denies that anything went wrong.
Geri is said to be surprised by the investigation, but promises to support her husband.
But now the ex-Spice Girl may skip next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix because she doesn’t want to face the constant scrutiny, a friend claims.
A source said: “Geri is devastated and struggling to eat and eat sleep.
Read more about Christian Horner
“Her family and fellow Spice Girls are concerned.
“I hear Christian is trying to cheer her up to stay positive, but she’s hit the ground running like she did after she left the Spice Girls.”
“She doesn’t talk to anyone,” they told the Daily Mail.
Geri is supported by her Spanish mother, Ana Maria, and her sister, Natalie, but she has “only a few” other friends she can count on.
In the meantime, she does her best to be there for her adoring husband.
The friend said, “I believe she participates in all the calls from lawyers.”
“Christian has told her everything is fine – and will be fine – but she just wants it to go away.”
The insider continued: “It’s a real problem as her focus is definitely on him.
“She is completely faithful to him; it will remain that way.’
But other friends claim Geri is still “mortified and angry” at Christian for humiliating her.
Christian Horner’s fate at Red Bull will reportedly be decided within ten days, potentially leaving the F1 boss out of a job before the season opener.
His future with world champion Max Verstappen’s all-conquering team still hangs in the balance after a female staffer made shocking allegations of “inappropriate and controlling behaviour”.
But in recent days, new claims claim Horner also sent the colleague “sexually suggestive” text messages.
The bomb 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 put 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 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
Red Bull arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday evening for pre-season testing with Horner still in his £8million-a-year role.
So far it has been ‘business as usual’ in the pit lane – the team boss’s slogan since news of the scandal emerged.
However, the results of the independent investigation will reportedly be handed over to Red Bull’s board in the coming days.
The investigation threatens to overshadow the start of the new F1 season, but a final decision is expected before the opening Grand Prix race gets underway on March 2, the Mail reports.
On Thursday, he addressed the new sexting investigation, stating that he wanted a conclusion as “soon as possible.”
He declined to comment directly on the allegations made against him during the press conference, saying: “I cannot comment on the process or the timescale.”
“I think everyone would like a conclusion as soon as possible, but I’m really not at liberty to talk about the process,” he added.
The racing bosswho has led the Austrian team since its founding in 2005, was all smiles yesterday as he signed autographs, posed for selfies with fans and spoke to his drivers.
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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