CHRISTIAN Horner’s game might be up even if he is cleared of his “sext” probe amid bad blood and infighting with Red Bull, it was claimed.
The F1 boss, 50, is the focus of an internal investigation by the team into his alleged behaviour towards a female colleague.
Christian Horner might leave Red Bull Racing regardless of the outcome of his ‘sext’ probe
AFPHorner (C) looking a bit nervous as he sat with team advisor Helmut Marko (L) during the pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit[/caption]
GettyThere was speculation of a rift between Horner (L) and Helmut Marko (R) – Red Bull GmBH’s motorsport advisor[/caption]
Horner, who denies any wrongdoing, will reportedly have his fate decided within 10 days – leaving him potentially out of a job ahead of the season opener.
But an insider claims he could leave Red Bull Racing even if he survives the inquiry.
The source told the Daily Mail: “How can he stay on with those sort of fault lines in place?”
Another colleague added the Red Bull boss “looks worn down and worn out”.
Horner reportedly has a history of feuding with many factions at Red Bull, most notably with former driver Helmut Marko, the Salzburg-based head of Red Bull’s Formula One Teams.
On Thursday, he addressed the new bombshell sexting probe and declared he wanted a conclusion as “soon as possible”.
Horner refused to comment directly on the allegations made against him during the press conference, stating “I cannot comment on the process or the time scale.”
“I think everybody would like a conclusion as soon as possible but I am really not at liberty to talk about the process,” he added.
The racing boss, who has led the Austrian team since its formation in 2005, was all smiles yesterday as he signed autographs, posed for selfies with fans and spoke to his drivers.
The allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” against Horner come amid a power struggle at Red Bull Racing.
Rumours of trouble brewing beneath the surface within the team’s leadership have been swirling 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.
The former professional driver has overseen the Red Bull driver development programme since 2005 and was a driving force in bringing Max Verstappen to the team.
But speculation was played down, with Horner only acknowledging there had been a “small difference of opinion” between himself and Marko.
He even suggested rumours may have been fanned by opponents, adding: “As we’ve tied up both championships, there’s not a lot to be talking about, so it’s very easy for others to wind the situation up.”
But Marko hinted at an internal wrangle when he commented: “I have a contract until the end of 2024 and in the end it’s the shareholders’ decision, not Christian Horner’s, and in the end it’s me who decides.”
Formula 1 reporter Erik van Haren said the power struggle appears to be coming to a “climax now”.
He told De Telegraaf: “[Horner and Marko] become more and more like water and fire.
“Although, of course, in the publicity they pretend that nothing is wrong.
“Horner is, of course, the team principal and the CEO of Red Bull Racing. More than a thousand people work there. Super important for the operational side of the whole story.
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, pipping 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
“However, it is of course known to all Formula 1 connoisseurs that Helmut Marko, the Austrian, pulls the big picture. So he decides who sits in those seats.
“And yes, Horner might be the guy who would like to do that too, but Helmut is the guy who makes the big decisions.
“So if you were to ask Max Verstappen, the most important man in that team, with a knife to your throat, if you had to choose between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, you would always choose Helmut.”
Meanwhile, Geri Halliwell is set to skip the first F1 race of the season as she’s been left “flattened” by Horner’s “sext” probe.
The ex-Spice Girl, 51, is said to be taken aback by the probe but is vowing to stand by her husband.
And she now may skip next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix as she doesn’t want to face the ongoing scrutiny, a pal has claimed.
A source said: “Geri is devastated and has been struggling to eat and sleep.
“Her family and fellow Spice Girls are worried.
“I hear Christian is trying to pep her up to stay positive, but she has gone to ground in the way she did after she left the Spice Girls.”
“She’s not speaking to anyone,” they told the Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, she is doing her best to be there for her adoring husband.
The pal said: “I believe she is in on all the lawyers’ calls.”
“Christian has been telling her that 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 absolutely him.
“She is completely loyal to him; that remains.”
RexA decision over Horner’s career at Red Bull is reportedly expected in 10 days[/caption]
The bombshell claims that have rocked F1
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