It has been claimed that CHRISTIAN Horner’s game could be better even if he is cleared of his “sexting” investigation amid tensions and infighting with Red Bull.
The 50-year-old F1 boss is the subject of an internal investigation into his alleged behaviour towards a colleague.
Horner, who denies any wrongdoing, would have his fate in 10 days, which could leave him without homework before the season starts.
But a source says he could leave Red Bull Racing even if he survives the investigation.
The source told the Daily Mail: “How can he deal with those kinds of fault lines?”
Another colleague added that the Red Bull boss “looks exhausted and exhausted”.
Horner is said to have a history of feuding with many factions at Red Bull, including former driver Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s Formula 1 team boss based in Salzburg.
On Thursday, he addressed the explosive new investigation into sexting, saying it needs a conclusion sooner rather than later.
Horner declined to comment directly on the allegations made against him at the press conference, saying: “I can’t comment on the procedure or the timing. “
“I think everyone would like to see a conclusion as soon as possible, but I’m not free to communicate about the process,” he added.
The motorsport boss, who has led the Austrian team since its inception in 2005, was all smiles as he signed autographs, posed for selfies with enthusiasts and chatted with his drivers.
Horner’s allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” come amid a struggle of forces at Red Bull Racing.
Rumors about upheavals lurking beneath the surface within the team’s management have been circulating since the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022.
After the billionaire’s death, Red Bull formed a new board of directors to oversee the company.
Former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has been appointed CEO.
Although Red Bull enjoyed its most successful season in F1 history in 2023, there has been speculation about a rift between Horner and Helmut Marko, the motorsport advisor at Red Bull GmBH.
Rumours even went so far as to suggest that Horner was determined to get rid of 80-year-old Marko from the team, reports the Telegraph.
The former professional driver has overseen Red Bull’s driver progression programme since 2005 and was the driving force behind Max Verstappen’s arrival at the team.
But the hypothesis was downplayed and Horner simply acknowledged that there had been a “slight difference of opinion” between him and Marko.
He even warned that the rumours could have been stoked by opponents, adding: “As we have equalised both championships, there is a lot to be said, so it is very simple for others to put an end to the situation. “
But Marko alluded to an internal dispute when he commented: “I have a contract until the end of 2024 and in the end it’s the decision of the shareholders, not Christian Horner, and in the end it’s me. “who decides. “
Formula 1 journalist Erik van Haren said the struggle of forces appears to be reaching “a climax now”.
He told De Telegraaf: “[Horner and Marko] are becoming more and more like water and fire.
“Of course, in advertising they say everything is fine.
“Horner is, of course, the team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing. More than a thousand people work there. Very much because of the operational aspect of the whole story. “
CHRISTIAN Horner is one of the most recognizable names in Formula 1 and has helped make Red Bull one of the most important in the sport.
1973 – Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
1991: Wins a Formula Renault scholarship after impressing in kart racing.
1993-1997 – Competed in numerous British Formula 3, British Formula 2 and Formula 3000 competitions.
1997 – Creation of the F3000 Arden team
1999 – Retires from aviation and expands the Arden team.
2005: Appointed Red Bull team principal, the youngest team principal in history.
2009: Wins his first races as team leader with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
2010 – Wins the Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship with Vettel – the first of 4 consecutive one-two results
2013 – He has a daughter with his ex-wife Beverly Allen some time before the couple’s separation.
2014 – He got engaged to Geri Halliwell, a member of the Spice Girls.
2015: Marries Halliwell in Woburn, Bedfordshire
2017 – Horner and Halliwell welcome their son
2021 – Wins the drivers’ championship with Max Verstappen, overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season.
2022-23: Red Bull wins Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship two years in a row
“However, everyone in Formula 1 knows, of course, that Helmut Marko, the Austrian, has a great outlook. So, he’s the one who decides who gets those seats. “
“And yes, Horner would like to do that too, but Helmut is the one who makes the big decisions.
“So if you were to ask Max Verstappen, the most important man in this team, with a knife to his throat, if you had to choose between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, you would choose Helmut.
Meanwhile, Geri Halliwell is expected to skip the first F1 race of the season as she was “crushed” by Horner’s “sexting” investigation.
The former Spice Girl, 51, is said to be baffled by the investigation that has yet to get past her husband.
And it’s possible he’ll now skip next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix because he doesn’t need to face scrutiny, a friend claimed.
A said: “Geri is devastated and struggles to eat and sleep.
“Her family circle and fellow Spice Girls are worried.
“I heard Christian was looking to cheer her up to keep her positive attitude, but she broke down like she did after leaving the Spice Girls. “
“She doesn’t communicate with anyone,” they told the Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, she does her best to be there for her beloved husband.
The friend said, “I answer all the calls from the lawyers. “
“Christian tells her that everything is fine, and everything will be fine, but she just passes away. “
He continued, “It’s a genuine challenge because surely she’s aiming for him.
“She’s absolutely unwavering with him, that stays. “
F1 was rocked earlier this month by the sudden announcement that the sport’s longest-serving team principal had been investigated by Austria-based Red Bull’s parent company.
It is believed to be a “dossier of incriminating documents” about “inappropriate and controlling behaviour” towards a woman, The Telegraph reported.
Red Bull’s Austrian parent company has sent an independent lawyer to the UK to defend the billionaire racing ace and his accuser.
The former racing driver, who runs world champion Max Verstappen’s conquering Red Bull team, was questioned for 8 hours about last week’s claims.
More recently, however, other allegations have been published, with the newspaper De Telegraaf reporting that Horner allegedly sent sexual messages to his worker “over an extended period of time. “
The messages were reportedly stored and submitted as evidence to outside counsel as part of the investigation after they filed a complaint last December.
Horner has categorically denied the new allegations and is believed to be taking legal action against De Telegraaf.
An F1 source told The Sun last week that “Christian has been sacked or asked to resign and he is going to resign.
The investigation raises the question of who could take the lead in world champion Max Verstappen’s racing team.
His wife, Geri Halliwell, is said to be “terrified that her life will fall apart” amid the investigation into Horner’s “inappropriate behaviour”.
The former Spice Girl, who “cried” when the Red Bull boss revealed the explosive allegations, fears the drama will drag on for years, a source said.
But Geri, 51, is said to be on her husband’s side.
She told her friends, “Christian didn’t do anything wrong. “
Horner oversaw a great era of good luck for the race team: he won several F1 champions with Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen.
Red Bull won seven Formula 1 drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ world titles under Horner’s leadership.
Last season, they won 21 of the 22 F1 World Tour races and the 26-year-old Verstappen won the drivers’ crown.
Horner was awarded a CBE for motorsport in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.
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