After a turbulent few weeks for Red Bull Racing, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has finally made an
appearance at Albert Park ahead of the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
Just one day before the Bahrain Grand Prix’s opening practice session, Horner—who is married to former Spice Girl
Geri Halliwell—was found not guilty of any wrongdoing after an internal inquiry was conducted before to the 2024
season in response to a complaint made by a female Red Bull employee.
But just a day later, several prominent F1 figures and the media received access to what seemed to be private
WhatsApp conversations that Horner had with the female coworker. This put his behavior back in the public eye.
When he landed in Australia for the race, the 50-year-old managed to avoid photographers. It is unknown if his wife
Geri will be present for the Grand Prix on Sunday.
The scandal has cast doubt on the future of Red Bull’s top driver Max Verstappen, but Horner, 50, has persisted in
maintaining his innocence and his team’s dominating start to the season with consecutive one-two finishes.
Chalerm Yoovidhya, a Thai businessman who owns 51% of Red Bull, is said to have deployed a family member,
known as the “Thai spy,” to monitor Horner and the company as a whole.
With Max, his father Jos, and Red Bull CEO Helmut Marko on one side and Horner on the other, the drama has the
potential to completely destroy the Red Bull enterprise.
Jos Verstappen has demanded that Horner be fired, while Max has stated that he will leave the team in the event that
Marko leaves.
Marko acknowledged that he might not attend this weekend’s race in the event that he is disciplined after being
accused of being the source of the texts that were leaked. Since then, he has reaffirmed his intention to stay on the
team.
A truce of sorts between the main Red Bull factions may have been reached in advance of this weekend’s race, as
Horner seemed at ease strolling through Albert Park on Thursday.
Afterwards, he was observed meeting with Raymond Vermeulen, the driver’s manager, and reigning world champion
Verstappen.
Geri Halliwell, Horner’s ex-Spice Girl wife, has continued to openly support her husband by showing up at the Grand
Prix events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It is unknown, though, if she will make the trip to Melbourne.
The team principal’s accuser has filed an appeal against Red Bull’s investigation’s conclusions, so things are not quite
over yet.
It is said that she is upset that she was not given access to the entire sex-text dossier prior to the internal
investigation’s conclusion.
Recent rumors indicate that Adrian Newey, Horner’s highly regarded right-hand man, is in advanced talks to join
Ferrari.
The Red Bull vehicles that have delivered so much success over the years, particularly the last three world
championships with Verstappen, were designed in large part thanks to Chief Technical Officer Newey.
The team’s success in becoming the dominating constructor on the track may be attributed to him, who has earned
the nickname “aero king.” This year, the drivers and constructors championship leaders are expected to win two
more world titles.
BILD claims that Newey may be leaving the squad, as Ferrari is reportedly making more and more efforts to entice
the 65-year-old.
Before calling it quits on his career, Newy has previously stated that he would like to collaborate with Ferrari and
Lewis Hamilton.
With Hamilton scheduled to join Ferrari in 2025 and Prancing Horse CEO Fred Vasseur currently revamping the
business, it appears that the opportunity has finally presented itself.
Hamilton discussed Newey before the race in Saudi Arabia.
“I believe that my move has demonstrated that anything is possible, and the next six months or so will be really
interesting,” he declared.
Having worked with the Red Bull crew, I can attest that Adrian is the one who receives all the recognition for
everyone’s efforts.
