GERI Halliwell briefly unfollowed Max Verstappen on Instagram after her Red Bull chief husband Christian Horner was accused of sending “sexual messages” to a colleague.
Horner’s future of running the all-conquering team of world champion Verstappen has been thrown into doubt following the bombshell claims.
The Red Bull Racing boss, 50, has vehemently denied all claims threatening his position.
Horner was initially only under investigation over alleged controlling behaviour at work towards a female worker.
But in recent days, fresh claims allege Horner also sent her “sexually suggestive” texts.
Geri – who was reduced to tears as news broke of the scandal but has privately insisted he did nothing wrong – was on Sunday pictured standing by her husband at a horse racing event at Badbury Rings, Dorset.
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But amid reports of infighting at Red Bull and accusations against Horner, ex-Spice Girl Geri unfollowed Verstappen on Instagram today.
Mysteriously, she later refollowed his account – seeing the number of pages she follows go from 30 to 33.
Red Bull Racing, Horner and Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet are among the accounts she follows.
Geri is being supported by her former bandmates following the launch of a probe by Red Bull’s Austrian HQ.
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The Sun exclusively revealed Horner – who married Geri in 2015 – was being helped by all the Spice Girls.
A source said: “They are quietly supporting her behind the scenes and checking in to make sure she is OK.
“Geri has been left broken by the ordeal, but is grateful for the kindness being shown to her by friends.”
Last week, both Horner and Verstappen were at the launch of Red Bull Racing’s season launch event at the team’s Milton Keynes HQ.
But tensions are claimed to have been running high among the team before accusations were made against Horner.
Rumours of issues between the team’s leadership have swirled since the death of billionaire co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022 and the team drafted a new board of directors.
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.
Horner publicly addressed the allegations against him for the first time at the launch of the RB20 last week.
It comes as…
He said: “Inevitably there has been a distraction, but the team are very together.
“Everybody’s focused on the season ahead, so it’s been very much business as normal and the support has been fantastic.
“In situations like these, you see where the strengths are, and it’s been overwhelming the support that I’ve had from within the team.
“There have been some allegations made, which I fully deny, so that the investigation is very much going on in the background whilst preparing for the season ahead, and hopefully it will be concluded in the near future.”
Ford were 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 find out his fate much sooner than originally expected.
Horner has said to be hoping the investigation is resolved within the next week — when the team will fly to Bahrain for pre-season testing.
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He would be expected to fly out as team manager.
What has been claimed?
F1 was rocked earlier this month by the sudden news that the sport’s longest-standing team principal had been placed under investigation by Red Bull’s Austria-based parent company.
This was thought to be over a “dossier of incriminating material” regarding “inappropriate and controlling behaviour” towards one female, The Telegraph reported.
Red Bull’s Austrian parent company flew an independent lawyer to the UK to question the multi-millionaire race ace and his accuser.
The former racing driver, who runs world champion Max Verstappen’s all-conquering Red Bull team, endured an eight-hour grilling over the claims last week.
Most recently however, more allegations have come out as the De Telegraaf reported that Horner allegedly sent sex messages to his employee “over an extended period of time”.
Messages were said to have been saved and presented as evidence to the external barrister running the inquiry after the woman made a complaint last December.
Mr Horner categorically denied the new allegations and is thought to be taking legal action against De Telegraaf.
An F1 source told The Sun last week that “Christian has not been sacked or asked to resign and he is not going to resign”.
The investigation raises the question of who could take over the helm of the all-conquering racing team of world champion Max Verstappen.
His wife Geri Halliwell is also said to be “terrified her life will unravel” amid Horner’s “inappropriate behaviour” probe.
The ex-Spice Girl, who was “in floods of tears” when the Red Bull boss was hit with the bombshell allegations, fears the drama will drag on for years, a source has claimed.
But Geri, 51, is understood to be standing by her husband.
She has told pals: “Christian has done nothing wrong.”
Horner has overseen a huge period of success for the racing team – winning multiple F1 championships with Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen.
Red Bull has won seven Formula One world drivers’ championships and six world constructors’ titles under Horner’s leadership.
Last season, the team won 21 of the 22 races on the global F1 tour, and Verstappen, 26, won the drivers’ crown.
Horner was awarded a CBE for services to motorsport in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
