Christian Horner has said he ‘absolutely’ expects to remain in charge at Red Bull for next week’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the furore over leaked text messages continues.
The Red Bull chief has insisted he ‘wouldn’t be here otherwise’ if he thought he was about to lose control of the F1 team amid allegations relating to the leak of hundreds of WhatsApp messages which appeared to be written by Horner to a female colleague.
The messages came on Thursday, just 24 hours after Horner was cleared to continue as Red Bull head following an internal probe into ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by the F1 team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH.
The 50-year-old’s wife, Geri Halliwell, reportedly ‘read him the riot act’ before putting on a show of unity with him in front of the cameras in Bahrain yesterday.
However, sources claim she is still ‘furious’ as her husband had claimed the messages were part of a ‘workplace row’, something that the leaks appear to contradict.
Christian Horner holds hands with his wife Geri Halliwell ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday
Horner stands behind his wife as Red Bull celebrate taking first and second place in the inaugural race of the season
The Red Bull boss had been celebrating yesterday after his team took first and second place at the opening race of the season, with reigning champion Max Verstappen the early winner.
However, questions continue to swirl as the fallout of the alleged leaked messages – some of which are sexually suggestive – rumbles on.
Horner has always publicly denied claims of wrongdoing, and told Sky Sports F1 that he was committed to continuing as team principal following a successful weekend professionally.
He said: ‘We have got tremendous support, tremendous partners and great shareholders behind us as well.
‘You don’t achieve this kind of result by not being united.’
Asked if he still expects to be in charge by the time next week’s race kicks off in Jeddah, he said: ‘Yes, absolutely. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.’
Before the race Horner and his wife Geri, who he has been married to since 2015, had been spotted in a public display of unity.
Horner had slipped out of the back of Red Bull’s hospitality suite through a gate to meet her as she arrived at the main entrance of the paddock.
They then held hands as they walked through the paddock to Red Bull’s hospitality suite. During the short walk they were mobbed by photographers and TV crews.
The couple were all smiles at lunch where they were later joined by Red Bull’s head of communication and former F1 team principal Flavio Briatore and Red Bull’s majority shareholder, and Horner ally, Thai billionaire Chalerm Yoovidhya.
Horner headed for the race grid about 45 minutes before the 3pm start, giving Geri a kiss as he left.
Horner stood over his wife and former Spice Girl as the couple embraced in front of the cameras
Horner placed a kiss on his wife’s lips as the former Spice Girl comes to terms with the controversy around a set of leaked texts
The Red Bull chief said his ‘focus is on this team’ and ‘my family’ as he kicked off the Formula One season
The Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain is seen on March 2
Red Bull’s Formula One driver Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday
Sources claim that the former Spice Girls singer is ‘furious’ with her husband, but has not ‘gone nuclear’.
One source told The Sun last night: ‘The texts leak moved the goalposts – and Geri was furious about it.
‘When Christian first told her about the situation, he said he had fallen out with a woman who wanted promotion and more responsibility in Red Bull.
‘So he had sold it to Geri as a workplace row and she accepted that. So Geri is now fuming there appears to be more to this.’
Friends of Halliwell, who has a son, Montague George Hector Horner with her husband, previously told the publication she had ‘read him the riot act’ over the situation.
They said: ‘There are questions about her future with him and she let him know in no uncertain terms. It’s uncertain whether their marriage will survive but she is giving it a good chance by showing him support, at least in public.
‘But deep down she must be hurt, humiliated and very, very angry. However, this does at least show she hasn’t gone nuclear and run to the first expensive divorce lawyer she can find.’
Horner, who has always denied the claims, said previously: ‘I have the support of an incredible family, an incredible wife, an incredible team and everybody within that team.
After they kissed, Halliwell seemed to look directly at photographers
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner monitors the race on Saturday
Horner gazed at his wife as she listened to an elderly man in a striped pink shirt talk to her
He was seen chatting away to Thai billionaire Chalerm Yoovidhya again before the race as the pair walked on the grid
Earlier he appeared to have bags around his hooded eyes as he marched towards the Red Bull garage before the race
‘And my focus is going on racing, winning racing and doing the best I can.
‘It was a day about starting the season in he best possible way. My focus is on this team, my family, my wife and racing.’
The WhatsApp messages were sent from an anonymous email account to 149 members of the F1 paddock – including the president of the sport’s governing body Mohammed ben Sulayem, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and the grid’s nine other team principals, as well as members of the media.
Horner continues to operate in his role as team principal and chief executive, although it is understood there is considerable unease among the team’s plethora of sponsors and partners.
He spoke only once about the latest allegations as he made his way from Red Bull’s hospitality suite to the team’s garage on Friday.
‘I am not going to comment on anonymous speculation from unknown sources,’ he said.
When asked what comes next, Horner replied: ‘We go racing.’