Christian Horner ‘was begged by Geri Halliwell’ as saga engulfs F1 ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix
Geri Halliwell reportedly told Christian Horner to make the scandal ‘go away’ prior to the Red Bull chief’s messages allegedly being leaked.
Horner was cleared of inappropriate behaviour by Red Bull earlier this week, having always denied allegations of misconduct.
Christian Horner continues to deny allegations against him ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix today
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According to the Daily Mail, Geri pleaded with Horner to make the scandal ‘go away’ a few weeks ago.
But the pair’s marriage is now set to suffer new strain ahead of today’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Geri jetted out to the Middle East on Friday, with reports claiming the Spice Girls star was talked into flying out by those close to her.
The 51-year-old will be in attendance for today’s race today, despite the allegations against Horner.
The pair married back in 2015 and have become one of the biggest power couples in sport in the years since.
It is currently unclear whether Horner will remain with Red Bull for the long term, however, amid claims he’s a pawn in a wider power struggle at the company.
The first race of the season commences at 3pm today with Max Verstappen focused on continuing his electrifying form.
The Dutch driver won 19 of a possible 22 races last term to establish himself as the man to beat.
Verstappen impressed in qualifying on Friday, securing pole position ahead of the likes of Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
He is said to be ‘going crazy’ behind the scenes, however, with the 26-year-old desperate for the situation to be resolved.
Verstappen has opened up on Horner ahead of the event in the Middle East.
And the F1 champion says Horner is an ‘incredible team boss’ while insisting Red Bull are ‘fully focused’ on today’s race.
“[We are] fully focused on the car and the performance here at the weekend,” said the reigning champion.
“And that’s how it should be I think. That’s what we continue to do because it’s not our business.
“When I look at how Christian [Horner] operates within the team he has been an incredible team boss. From the performance side of things you can’t even question that.
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Geri Halliwell reportedly begged Christian Horner to make the scandal ‘go away’ ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix
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“I speak to Christian a lot. Throughout the weekend here, he’s fully committed to the team. He’s also here for the performance.
“Of course, he’s probably a little bit distracted but we just focus on the performance side of things and that’s how we all work together.”
Horner said on Friday that he wasn’t paying much attention to the noise that surrounds him – while also insisting he continues to deny the allegations against him.
“I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations,” he said.
“I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way.
Christian Horner insists he’s focused on helping Red Bull win today’s season opener in the Middle East
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“It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent specialist barrister and it has concluded, dismissing the complaint made.
“I remain fully focused on the start of the season.”
