SCANDAL-HIT Red Bull boss Christian Horner told his long-term pal Bernie Ecclestone that his marriage with Geri Halliwell is “fantastic”.
The F1 legend, 93, has revealed that his embattled friend has patched-up his relationship and there is now “peace in our time” in the wake of the “sexting” saga.
Horner, 50, was cleared of misconduct towards a female colleague – allegations he had always denied – by an internal probe in February.
His unnamed female accuser has lodged an appeal – which is said to be ongoing – after her complaints were dismissed and is said to be “determined for the truth to come out”.
But four races into the 2024 season and the outwardly business-as-usual Horner appears to have weathered the storm.
Ex-F1 chief Ecclestone, who is one of the sport’s most iconic and long-standing figures, told the Mail: “It’s peace in our time.
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“And Christian informs me everything’s fantastic with Geri.”
Horner’s Ginger Spice star wife Geri Halliwell, 51, has remained fiercely loyal to her man as the drama loomed large over the couple.
As all eyes were fixed on the pair, she made a public show of support by kissing and hugging him in the paddock in Bahrain last month and again at Jeddah a week later.
Ecclestone was best man at Horner and Halliwell’s wedding nine years ago and brought the former racing driver into the sport to head up the new Red Bull team in 2005.
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He revealed: “Max (Verstappen) seems likely to stay, and it’s like all wars in so much as people get over things and move on… after not too long everyone forgets.”
However, Ecclestone’s support for Horner keeping his £8million-a-year role seemed to waver in February, when Horner was engulfed in the first stage of the scandal.
Following news of a probe into the team principal’s alleged controlling and inappropriate behaviour, Ecclestone allegedly urged his friend to resign.
Sources told F1 Insider that he warned his long-term pal that standing down would save him and his family from further damage.
Yet, the billionaire businessman, who ran F1 for over four decades, said everyone is ready to move on now.
He called Horner a “great healer” who was doing a “super job”.
“He has Geri’s support, and the whole team is doing well,” he added, adding that a few weeks has made a “big difference”.
Over the Easter weekend, Horner and Halliwell put on another united front in Buckinghamshire as they attended Point to Point races.
The pair – estimated to be worth £90million – were all smiles as they swapped the high octane world of F1 for the racing fields at Kimblewick Races.
Cheering on the riders with their three kids, they looked to be putting the turbulent months of allegations and grillings behind them.
SCANDAL… LAP BY LAP
FEBRUARY 5: A Dutch newspaper reports a female Red Bull employee has made serious allegations of “inappropriate, controlling behaviour” about Horner to parent company Red Bull GmbH.
FEB 9: Horner is quizzed for nine hours by the lawyer hired by Red Bull to investigate.
FEB 15: He denies the allegations and says they are a distraction for the team.
FEB 15: F1 says it hopes the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity after a fair and thorough process.
FEB 26: Red Bull’s engine partner Ford says it is increasingly frustrated by the team’s handling of the complaint.
FEB 28: Horner is cleared of all wrongdoing. The employee is said to have the right of appeal.
FEB 29: Horner says he is pleased the investigation is over.
FEB 29: WhatsApp texts and pictures claimed to be between Horner and the employee are sent to journalists and F1.
MARCH 1: Horner refuses to comment on what he calls “anonymous speculation from unknown sources”.
MAR 2: Horner and wife Geri are pictured hand-in-hand, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins the Bahrain Grand Prix. Horner says before the race: “It’s been very testing for my family but we are very strong and our focus is on this race.”
MAR 3: Verstappen’s dad Jos, claims Red Bull is in “danger of being torn apart” if Horner stays in the job.
But he denies being the source of the WhatsApp leak, saying: “It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
MAR 6: Max Verstappen sides with his dad in the row.
MAR 7: Horner says he wants to draw a line under the scandal and hails Geri’s support — as Red Bull suspends the employee.
MAR 15: Horner’s accuser allegedly launches an appeal against the investigation that saw the Red Bull chief cleared & the sport’s governing body, the FIA
MAR 17: Horner, Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen agree to a ‘public ceasefire’.
LEFTOVER DRAMA
What started as Horner’s personal controversy quickly morphed into an power struggle within Red Bull in past weeks.
Last month sources alleged that Horner agreed to a “public ceasefire” with senior management after emergency crunch talks.
With the internal battles at the sports top constructor set to end after Horner, Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko seemingly agreeing to stop their disputes, The Mirror reported.
Verstappen Sr, 52, had been publicly backing the suspended female employee and called for Horner to be axed, accusing him of ripping the team apart.
When asked if it was time to “draw a line” under the situation, as Horner insisted people do, Jos said: “I think it’s a bit too late for that now.
“If that’s what he wants, fine, but I don’t think it will be possible.”
The woman who accused Horner of controlling behaviour and harassment has also now lodged a complaint against him with the sport’s ruling body the FIA.
She has been left feeling “very upset, angry, scared, intimidated and lonely” following the saga, a family friend told BBC Sport.
The unnamed woman is said to be “determined for the truth to come out”.
The unnamed colleague, who has been suspended from her job at the team’s base in Milton Keynes, has made three complaints over Horner’s conduct since the start of February, it is claimed.
On March 7, the woman was suspended on full pay from Red Bull HQ amid claims her “honesty was called into question.”
The reasons allegedly given to her were that she there were concerns about inconsistencies in the evidence she had provided.
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Drive to Survive chief James Gay-Rees also confirmed that Netflix was planning on referencing the allegations in next years instalment of the hit show.
The scandal playing out again across out screens could potentially reopen old wounds for Horner and Halliwell as they attempt to move on from the drama.
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
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
