Exclusive: Red Bull Team Boss Christian Horner Speaks Out Amid Controversy in Bahrain GP 2024

2024-02-29 19:32:00
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner speaks on the phone in Bahrain, home of the first date of Formula 1 2024 (REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed)

In the run-up to the debut of the 2024 Formula 1 season at the Bahrain GP on March 2, and when it seemed that the scandal that surrounded Christian Horner, team manager of the Red Bull team, had been settled, messages appeared of compromising WhatsApp that they attribute to the strong man of the energizer team.

After the team announced 24 hours earlier that its director was acquitted following the investigation into a complaint by an employee of the organization for “inappropriate conduct,” Horner once again found himself in the eye of the storm due to the leak of a series of documents. in which the alleged conversations that the Red Bull boss had with the worker and that would have sexual content are seen.

These hypothetical chats were disseminated to different specialized international media outlets and, according to the Racing News 365 site, the email with the content was also sent to the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to the executive director and president of F1, Stefano Domenicali, high-level figures within both organizations and the other nine team directors of motorsport’s top competition.

In the article published by the motor sports site that had access to the content, it indicates that the source describes himself as an “anonymous reporter” and sent 79 files with screenshots of the alleged dialogue in the chat application to the various email addresses. WhatsApp. You can also see photos that Horner would have sent to the complainant. These documents would come from the internal investigation of the case and the veracity of the content is being analyzed.

The screenshots of the alleged chats between Chris Horner and the Red Bull employee (@themikeawesome3)

In some of the leaked screenshots of the chats you can read some comments. “I can’t sleep, can I call you?” Horner reportedly asked the Red Bull employee. “I’m just ready for bed, it’s time to sleep,” she replied. In another message, the team director asked for photos and the woman replied: “Your wife wouldn’t be so happy.”

“I am not going to comment on anonymous speculation, but I repeat: I have always denied the accusations,” were Horner’s first statements after the leak of the alleged chats, according to the Italy24 news agency.

The executive later added from Bahrain, where training is taking place prior to Sunday’s Grand Prix: “I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and cooperated fully every step of the way. This was an exhaustive and fair investigation carried out by an independent specialist lawyer and which concluded by rejecting the complaint filed. “We are focused on the race and we will continue doing it and I will be here tomorrow because I have to do it.”

On the other hand, journalist Jake Nichol, editor of Racing News 365, wrote in his X account that the compromising content of those files sent and that harm Horner is being thoroughly reviewed.

“The veracity of the alleged screenshots leaked to the media regarding the Christian Horner investigation cannot be confirmed at this time, but we understand that both the FIA ​​and F1 are working to do so,” he posted.

Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team, before the team’s F1 training (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

Beyond Horner’s personal situation, a person who was also affected by the case that had the team director in the spotlight was his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell. Although press reports in Britain have indicated in recent weeks that she never doubted the innocence of her partner.

According to the British newspaper The Sun, the celebrity was “mortified and angry” by the statements against Horner, but she was also forceful in her thoughts in favor of her husband. “She didn’t do anything wrong,” is what Halliwell repeated to her inner circle in relation to her view of the events as mentioned by the British media.

After learning of the acquittal in favor of the former Formula 1 driver, a source told the same media that “they have been hellish weeks for Christian and his family. As he has said all along, these claims are ‘crazy’” regarding the accusation made public by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that Horner had sent “sexual messages” to the employee who filed the complaint that exploded in the workplace. Formula 1 one month before the start of the season.

Christian Horner y Geri Halliwell
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