Former F1 driver Christijan Albers has labelled Geri Halliwell’s appearance at the Bahrain Grand Prix as ‘a farce’. The former Spice Girls member was present in the paddock and walked hand-in-hand with husband Christian Horner, despite the media storm surrounding the ‘leaked messages’ that had circulated in the paddock from Thursday onwards.
The 50-year-old was cleared of wrongdoing by the internal investigation on Wednesday ahead of the on-track action at the Bahrain GP, but the following day, a Google Drive containing alleged ‘leaked messages’ from Horner circulated around the paddock.
This development reignited the conversation regarding Horner’s future and despite the Red Bull team dominating the race by securing a one-two finish on the track, it was the predicament facing the team principal that dominated the headlines and overshadowed the achievements of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Despite the calls for his resignation and the tense atmosphere surrounding the Red Bull camp, Horner remained defiant regarding his future, and in a bold move his wife, Geri, flew out to the race weekend and was never spotted far from her husband’s side.
Discussing Geri’s decision to stand beside her husband, Alberts told the De Telegraaf podcast: “What kind of farce is that? It’s always very easy to say something about that, it is for me too. It’s easy to undercut someone.
“Only, let’s be honest, that PR guy, or what he himself came up with to walk onto the paddock with Geri, is of course just absolute nonsense. That’s just a farce, and I would never have done that myself.”
WhereaThe 50-year-old is now having to tackle increasing pressure from within the Red Bull camp. In the aftermath of Saturday’s race, Jos Verstappen went public with information of a behind-the-scenes clash with the team principal.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Jos stated: “There is tension here while he remains in position. The team is in danger of being torn apart. 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.”
This incident has further destabilised the internal relations within the Red Bull camp and threatens to jeopardise the future of the reigning world champion at the team he has driven for since 2016.
