Christian Horner seems to be relaxed regardless of marriage being ‘in query’

Christian Horner was again within the Bahraini paddock this morning after salacious messages he allegedly despatched a feminine worker got here to gentle on Thursday afternoon.

The 50-year-old husband of former Spice Girl, Geri, vowed to combat on inside hours of the scandal deepening.

After an evening’s reflection, he’s nonetheless clinging on at Red Bull, the staff he has run for 19 years and led to 13 world championships, and intends to be on the pit wall for qualifying this afternoon forward of Saturday’s opening grand prix of the season within the Gulf kingdom.

He can be preventing to save lots of his nine-year marriage to Geri, who is alleged to ‘have had a total meltdown’ on the leak.

Hundreds of WhatsApp messages, a lot of a sexual nature, had been despatched to 149 of Formula One’s key figures, together with all Horner’s fellow staff principals, through an nameless account. FIA president Mohammad ben Sulayem, who’s due within the paddock in the present day, was additionally among the many recipients. 

Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali are set to carry a gathering to debate the leaks, and it stays to be seen whether or not the governing physique will launch their very own investigation.

The storm blew up after Horner had been cleared on Wednesday of ‘coercive behaviour’ by an inside inquiry carried out by Red Bull’s mum or dad firm in Salzburg.

This morning Horner was talking to a senior FOM determine on the staff’s hospitality space.

‘I will not comment on anonymous speculation,’ stated Horner in his assertion on Thursday after the e-mail landed. ‘But to reiterate I have always denied the allegations.

‘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.

‘I remain fully focused on the start of the season.’

Horner additionally modified his WhatsApp avatar yesterday. It is now not the picture that seems on the alleged exchanges with the lady in query.

Horner’s spouse, former Spice Girl Halliwell, had deliberate to fly out to the Grand Prix going down in Bahrain this weekend to reunite publicly with Horner, however these near the previous popstar have stated it’s now ‘extremely unlikely’ that she is going to be a part of him.

Instead the mother-of-two has been left ‘feeling humiliated’ after the messages had been unfold ‘so extensively on the market’, a buddy added.

Hundreds of intimate WhatsApp exchanges purportedly between Horner and the colleague had been launched through an nameless e-mail account.

Horner was solely cleared by Red Bull’s Salzburg-based mum or dad firm – and advised he may keep on as staff principal of the world-championship on a £8million-a-year-salary – 24 hours earlier than the texts dropped.

Halliwell had advised pals that she was ‘relieved and elated’ that the claims in opposition to her accomplice, with whom she shares seven-year-old son Monty, had lastly been dropped.

Friends of the ex-Spice Girl advised the Mail she thought the scandal had ‘lastly gone away’ however have warned the looks of the intimate messages – to which there are 79 screenshots – may ‘destroy’ her.

One stated: ‘All alongside Christian promised there was nothing in it.’

Another stated he now fears for a way the star, who has been left mortified on the embarrassing fall out, will be capable to comprehend such a public humiliation.

He stated: ‘Geri has been residing on this joyful, joyful bubble for therefore a few years now, she thought she had her prince and her knight in shining armour however now this.

‘She thought that it had all gone away, she was delighted and over the moon when she realized Christian had been cleared.

‘Geri was pilloried when she obtained along with Christian as a result of he had simply had one other child with one other girl however she has labored laborious to rid that picture of herself and Christian, and specifically that she is a homewrecker.

‘Now it has all come crashing down. The tears stopped when the judgment got here in on Wednesday, now they completely could have began once more. 

‘This will destroy her. All alongside Christian promised there was nothing in it.’

One supply near the star stated that she ‘wasn’t certain what to imagine’ all through the saga however was decided to get by means of it with their marriage unscathed.

‘Geri isn’t any fish spouse however she lastly obtained the person she needed and he or she will not wish to let him go. This may find yourself being an enormous dilemma for her,’ the supply stated.

The tranche of messages had been despatched to FIA president Mohammad Ben Sulayem and F1 chief govt Stefano Domenicali. All the staff principals had been copied in, together with star driver Max Verstappen’s father Jos.

Earlier this month Halliwell had briefly unfollowed world champion Verstappen on Instagram after the allegations in opposition to Horner first got here to gentle. Sources near the star stated tonight that this was an ’emotional response’ which she thought would go unnoticed.

Reigning world champion Verstappen was quizzed forward of the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday over whether or not Red Bull’s probe into Horner had impacted or altered the staff’s preparations for the season.

The Dutchman, insisting that his focus has not been altered, replied: ‘It would not. I’m very targeted on simply the efficiency of the automotive and myself.

‘Hopefully will probably be resolved very quickly. It’s a complete staff effort that everybody has to stay collectively and work to extra success, in order that’s why it is necessary to get every little thing resolved very quickly.

‘(Horner) is essential in any other case he would not have been in that place for such a very long time.’

The intense highlight on Horner in current weeks had already began to take a pressure on the couple’s dwelling life – which they cut up between their farmhouse, and stables, in Oxfordshire and a house in North London. 

A supply near the pair stated final night time the previous couple of weeks had been ‘hell for Christian and his household’ and he had at all times branded the claims as being ‘nuts’.

‘Geri is devastated and has been struggling to eat and sleep. Her household and fellow Spice Girls are anxious about her,’ the supply stated final week forward of Horner being cleared.

‘I hear Christian is attempting to pep her as much as keep optimistic, however she has gone to floor in the way in which she did after she left the Spice Girls. She’s not talking to anybody.’ 

Shortly after the leak yesterday, Horner launched a press release which learn: ‘I can’t touch upon nameless hypothesis, however to reiterate I’ve at all times denied the allegations.

‘I revered the integrity of the unbiased investigation and totally cooperated with it each step of the way in which. 

‘It was an intensive and truthful investigation carried out by an unbiased specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the criticism made. I stay totally targeted on the beginning of the season.’

Announcing its conclusion on Wednesday, the corporate stated: ‘The unbiased investigation into the allegations made in opposition to Mr Horner is full, and Red Bull can affirm that the grievance has been dismissed. 

The complainant has a proper of enchantment. Red Bull is assured that the investigation has been truthful, rigorous and neutral.’

Halliwell and Horner combined in social circles earlier than they struck up a romance, having first met one another on the Monaco Grand Prix in 2009.

‘[Geri] was a visitor of [former CEO of the Formula One Group] Bernie Ecclestone’s in Monaco one 12 months and got here down the pit lane,’ Horner beforehand advised The Telegraph. ‘I keep in mind [McLaren boss] Ron Dennis was standing subsequent to me and Eddie Jordan was there as properly.

‘She gave Ron a kiss on the cheek, and he or she gave Eddie a kiss on the cheek. So I assumed, ‘OK, I’m on for a kiss on the cheek right here!’ And I went to present her one and he or she shoved her hand out at me.’

Their relationship, nevertheless, obtained off to a rocky begin, coming underneath hearth after the Red Bull chief left his long-term accomplice Beverley Allen six months after she gave start to their daughter Olivia.

While the couple took a brief break to see if Horner may rescue his relationship with the mom of his little one, simply 9 months later he introduced his engagement to Ginger Spice in an commercial within the The Times in 2014.

It stated: ‘The engagement is introduced between Christian, son of Mr and Mrs G.M. Horner and Geraldine, daughter of the late Mr L.F. Halliwell and Mrs A Parkinson.’

The former Spice Girl and Red Bull boss tied the knot at St Mary’s Church in Woburn, Bedfordshire, in 2015.

Halliwell’s A-line lace bridal robe was designed by British designer Phillipa Lepley.

Her nine-year-old daughter, Bluebell, whom she had with screenwriter Sacha Gervasi in 2005, additionally attended the marriage.

Guests included Geri’s former Spice Girls co-star Emma Bunton, radio presenter and singer Myleene Klass, and TV presenter Amanda Holden.

Christian’s mother and father had been reportedly left devastated when the sporting skilled left Ms Allen to be with the chart-topping star and subsequently selected to not see the duo tie the knot.

A supply near the couple beforehand stated: ‘Geri and Christian are disillusioned that his mother and father aren’t coming.’

Horner has headed Red Bull since he was a 31-year-old in 2005. He was then the youngest staff principal on the grid, but is now its longest-serving.