RED Bull chief Christian Horner has privately vowed to “clear his name” ahead of a D-Day grilling over claims of “inappropriate and controlling behaviour”.
Horner, 50, will fight to save his career at a hearing at team headquarters on Friday following the allegations made by a female colleague.
A pal close to the F1 boss and his Spice Girl wife Geri Halliwell, 51, revealed that Horner believes he will be cleared of wrongdoing.
“Christian is speaking privately and says that he will clear his name and come through this,” the source told the Daily Mail.
Halliwell is said to be devastated by the bombshell allegations – but will firmly stand by Horner, who she married in 2015.
Another source said: “[She is] not talking to anyone at the moment. Geri seems to be simply too upset to engage with anyone. Just lots of tears.
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“She will stand by him and be at his side just as much as she always has been. She never misses a race and that will not change.”
Formula One was rocked on Monday by the news that the sport’s longest-standing team principal had been placed under investigation by Red Bull Austria.
The parent company has allegedly compiled a “dossier of incriminating material” regarding inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards one female staffer, The Telegraph reported.
Horner issued an immediate denial on Monday, stating: “I reject these claims entirely.”
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It is understood that the Red Bull principal will be quizzed by an independent lawyer appointed to examine the unnamed woman’s claims at the crunch meeting on Friday.
Sources say the investigation is set to centre on the employee’s concerns about Horner’s strict work regime and does not relate to any sexual impropriety.
An F1 source told The Sun: “Christian had concerns about her conduct and made it clear he was unhappy.
“She went on to make a complaint about his ‘controlling’ behaviour, which detonated this crisis for the team.”
Another source said: “It’s an awkward situation but it’s unavoidable until the air is cleared and this matter is resolved.”
Mum-of-two Halliwell reportedly turned her phone off on Monday due to streams of cruel messages online, with fans demanding she leave her husband.
The glamorous couple got married in Bedfordshire in 2015 and have one child together, Montague, aged seven.
The racing boss is also stepdad 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 committed to him with every fibre of her being.”
However, the scandal engulfing her husband has blown a “Grand Canyon-sized crack” right in the middle of her “super-perfect, super-posh life,” they claimed.
It followed reports that Geri had been in “floods of tears” last weekend as she looked after her kids.
A source close to the singer told The Sun: “She is insisting Christian has done nothing wrong.”
Horner – who is on an estimated salary of £8million at Red Bull – has been preparing for the start of the 2024 season with his all-conquering team led by world champion Max Verstappen.
Red Bull is said to want the issue sorted out before the first race kicks off 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.
A look at Christian Horner’s life and career
CHRISTIAN Horner is among the most well-known names in Formula One having 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 host of competitions including British Formula Three, British Formula Two, and Formula 3000
1997 – Founded and developed the F3000 team Arden
1999 – Retired from driving and continued developing the Arden team
2005 – Appointed head of Red Bull team, becoming the youngest ever team principal at that time
2009 – Wins his first races as team principal 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, beating Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season
2022-23 – Red Bull win the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship two years in a row
His defenders have reportedly claimed the accusations are part of a plot to oust him within the team amid an internal power struggle.
Rumours of the unrelated internal issues within the team’s leadership have swirled since the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022.
After the billionaire’s death, Red Bull drafted in a new board of directors to oversee the business.
Former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff was appointed chief executive.
Despite Red Bull enjoying its most successful season in F1 history in 2023, there was speculation of a rift between Horner and Helmut Marko – Red Bull GmBH’s motorsport advisor.
Rumours even went as far as to suggest Horner was determined to get rid of Marko, 80, from the team, reports the Telegraph.
Red Bull Austria said on Monday: “After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.
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“This process, which is already under way, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister.
“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
