Geri Halliwell has reportedly demanded that her husband Christian Horner cut ties with the Red Bull colleague who accused him of inappropriate behaviour. The Spice Girl joined Horner in Bahrain for the first Grand Prix of the season in a public show of support after he was cleared of wrongdoing in a team investigation.
The Sun claim that Halliwell wants the employee “out of the picture” as both they and Horner remain in their Red Bull positions. Geri is said to have laid down strict ground rules for Horner before they smiled for the cameras in the Middle East and shared a kiss in the paddock as Max Verstappen coasted to victory in Bahrain.
Geri is claimed to have been very supportive of what Horner had described as a “testing time” for the couple and their family, though she will not be joining him at the second Formula One race of the season in Saudi Arabia.
However, Geri’s decision to skip the next Grand Prix is due to her busy schedule and not influenced by the allegations that were made against her husband.
A Red Bull investigation cleared Horner last month, but the saga did not end there after a Google Drive folder containing alleged WhatsApp messages and photos between Horner and the colleague who accused him was leaked to F1 journalists, team principals and key figures in the sport on Thursday.
The leak, which is yet to be verified, prompted Horner to release a statement on the matter. “I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations,” said the Red Bull boss. “I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way.
“It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent specialist barrister and it has concluded, dismissing the complaint made.”
Horner met with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Bahrain, who had reportedly asked Verstappen to publicly back his team principal though his request was denied, as Mercedes chief Toto Wolff led calls for the governing body to investigate after Red Bull exonerated Horner.
“Let’s see where it goes in the next days,” Wolff said. “I would very much hope that the governing body, the sanctioning body and the commercial rights holder set the compass right. I think the handling of the situation is very critical for F1.”
However, despite Ben Sulayem claiming that the situation is “damaging the sport” the FIA would not be able to look into the allegations against Horner because they had not received a formal complaint.
