- The clip, posted by a Turkish F1 journalist, shows Horner in serious discussion
- Wife Geri Halliwell is sat next to him during the chat at Bahrain Grand Prix
- E-mail sent to 149 figures within F1 appeared to reveal sexually suggestive messages sent by Horner
New footage has emerged of under-pressure Red Bull boss Christian Horner and wife Geri Halliwell in earnest conversation with Flavio Briatore during the Bahrain Grand Prix at the weekend.
The couple were the centre of attention at the opening Grand Prix of the Formula One season, putting on a show of unity for the cameras.
Horner was exonerated last week by an internal Red Bull report after allegations of ‘coercive behaviour’ towards a female colleague.
But then pictures emerged in an anonymous e-mail sent to 149 figures within the sport revealing what appeared to be sexually suggestive WhatsApp messages to the complainant.
Among the recipients were FIA president Mohammad bin Sulayem and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.
The clip, posted on Saturday by Turkish motorsport journalist Cihangir Perperik, showed Horner and his wife appearing to have a serious conversation with Briatore and a Red Bull staffer at the circuit.
Italian businessman Briatore, 73, was managing director of the Benetton Formula One team during the 1990s when a young Michael Schumacher won two world titles with them.
He was later team principal of Renault F1 after they took over Benetton in 2000. Fernando Alonso won the driver’s championship with the team in 2005 and 2006.
Briatore is no stranger to controversy within the sport.
He was forced to resign from Renault due to his involvement in a race-fixing scandal at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix and was banned by the FIA – a punishment later overturned.
The incident in question occurred when Nelson Piquet Jr’s Renault car crashed in the Singapore race in September 2008. It was alleged he deliberately crashed the car to help team-mate Alonso win the race.
An FIA investigation led to Renault being charged with conspiracy and race-fixing, with Piquet Jr alleging Briatore and Renault chief engineer Pat Symonds asked him to crash.
Briatore and Symonds left the team five days later, with the Italian saying he’d left ‘to save the team.’
The FIA banned Briatore from all of their events with the Renault team put on two years’ probation.
Briatore later sued the FIA in French courts to clear his name and succeeded in January 2010, being awarded 15,000 Euros compensation. The two parties later reached an out-of-court settlement.
Briatore was also briefly co-owner of Queens Park Rangers Football Club but he stepped down after the English Football League requested the findings of the FIA investigation into the race-fixing affair.
Red Bull chief Horner maintained all weekend in Bahrain that his ‘focus is very much with what’s on the track’ without commenting on the alleged messages.
The Mail reported on Sunday night that Halliwell has demanded Horner cuts ties with the female colleague he is accused of sending the racy messages to.
The former Spice Girl, who has stood by her beleaguered partner resolutely so far, is said to have laid down ‘strict ground rules’ for the Red Bull boss after he was cleared of inappropriate behaviour.
Halliwell, 51, is said to have ‘read her husband the riot act’ before putting on a show of unity with him in front of the cameras at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, including kissing him before Max Verstappen claimed victory for Red Bull.
Horner joined celebrations after reigning champion Max Verstappen claimed victory in the season-opening race on Saturday.
He was also seen stood next to his partner Halliwell to watch the podium celebrations, having earlier kissed in full view of the cameras.
But some are calling for Horner to leave his position, including Jos Verstappen – father of three-time world champion Max – who said the Milton Keynes-based racing team would ‘explode’ if he stays in charge.
‘There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position,’ he exclusively told Mail Sport.
‘The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.’
Toto Wolff also spoke out on the situation and called for Formula One’s governing body to ‘set the compass right’.
Wolff said: ‘Let’s see where it goes in the next few days. I would very much hope that the governing body and the commercial rights’ holder set the compass right.
‘But the moment I continue to question how this has been handled, I am probably not doing any good to the whole issue, because then it could be seen as this just being about a power fight within F1.
‘That’s why it should not be in the teams’ (Red Bull’s) hands. It’s a much bigger topic than that and I don’t want to diminish the whole situation by making it seem like the Mercedes guy is talking about the Red Bull guys.’
Ben Sulayem told the Financial Times that the turmoil is ‘damaging the sport on a human level’.
Domenicali, meanwhile, has not reacted to the matter directly at all, and kept a low profile in Bahrain.
Mail Sport also revealed that FIA president Ben Sulayem told Max Verstappen to back Horner in a guarded chat after qualifying in Bahrain on Friday.
The triple world champion, who took pole and went on to win the race in Bahrain, was seen in discussion with motor racing’s most senior figure in parc ferme. Both men hid what they said behind their hands.
But according to an observer standing close by, Ben Sulayem told Verstappen: ‘You must publicly back Christian.’
Another source said that Verstappen wasn’t entirely convinced by the advice. The Dutchman was equivocal when asked about Horner in the press conference afterwards.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
