Christian Horner praises ‘unbelievable & fantastic’ wife Geri Halliwell for weathering ‘perfect storm’ sexting scandal
RED Bull boss Christian Horner has spoken out about his “sexting” scandal that rocked the Formula One world to praise his wife Geri Halliwell.
The motor-racing chief, 50, credited his former Spice Girls wife for protecting him during the controversy that rocked their marriage.
Horner was cleared of misconduct towards a female colleague, an allegation he always denied, by an internal probe in February.
He was accused by a Red Bull F1 employee of sending suggestive messages, in texts that were leaked.
A KC cleared Horner for a second time in August after the unnamed accuser launched an appeal following the internal probe.
In his most recent public remarks on the scandal, Horner told the Daily Mail that his wife had supported him throughout.
He said: “My wife has been unbelievable, fantastic. Your partner is always the one you share your difficulties with.
“She has been absolutely outstanding and hugely supportive.”
A source told The Sun in August the drama had meant “weeks of hell” for the family and added: “Geri is very relieved.”
“It has been a horrible process but she has loyally and staunchly stood by Christian throughout the entire ordeal.”
Horner was reportedly under pressure at the time of the scandal by the father of his championship-winning driver Max Verstappen, The Sun previously reported.
Jos Verstappen had supposedly started a feud with the team boss when in March he reportedly said Horner was: “playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Despite the controversy at the time, Halliwell unexpectedly appeared hand-in-hand with her husband at the F1 opening race in Bahrain in March.
In his recent interview, Horner continued to praise his singer wife and explained how she helped him overcome the scandal.
He added: “She saw through a lot of things from having an outside perspective and it is good to have that weight and measure. It is hugely important.”
The couple, who have been married since 2015, have a child together and two children from previous relationships.
The Red Bull boss also claimed his team’s success had opened him up to a scandal like this.
He said: “What happened at the start of the year felt like a perfect storm.
“In life, it is a great lesson that the more success you have, the more of a target you become.”
Horner’s team could win their eighth driver’s championship as the 2024 F1 season has just three races left.
Max Verstappen currently leads the driver’s standings with a 62-point gap to McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The Red Bull driver could win the Championship this weekend at the Las Vegas Grand Prix if he beats Norris head-to-head.