Christian Horner has thanked his wife Geri Halliwell for her support throughout the scandal involving the Red Bull boss that rocked Formula 1 at the start of 2024.
In February, it was revealed that Horner was under investigation after a female employee of Red Bull Racing had accused him of ‘inappropriate and coercive behaviour’.
The Red Bull team principal was cleared on the eve of the season opener in Bahrain but the scandal only escalated when texts and images supposedly related to the probe were leaked.
The unidentified claimant, who was later suspended by the F1 team, chose to appeal her case but in August it was announced that once again Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The 51-year-old married former Spice Girl Halliwell in 2015 but the saga was said to have put great strain on their relationship, though she notably stood by her husband at the first few races of the season.
Horner has been previously very hesitant to speak about the matter but has now opened up in an interview with the Daily Mail.
He said: ‘What happened at the start of the year felt like a perfect storm. In life, it is a great lesson that the more success you have, the more of a target you become.
‘You just stay true to yourself and I am very fortunate that I have got a tremendous family. My wife has been unbelievable, fantastic. Your partner is always the one you share your difficulties with.
‘She has been absolutely outstanding and hugely supportive. She saw through a lot of things from having an outside perspective and it is good to have that weight and measure. It is hugely important.
‘You learn about yourselves in times of difficulty and I was absolutely determined that we would navigate through the difficult waters.’
It’s been a turbulent year for Red Bull on and off the track with the team starting out as the dominant force but losing pace to McLaren and Ferrari around the halfway mark.
Star driver Max Verstappen looks set to clinch a fourth-straight drivers’ title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, but Red Bull are likely to miss out on the constructors’ championship to one of their rivals.
Several key members of staff have left over the past months, including design genius Adrian Newey, while Horner has a long-running feud with Verstappen’s father Jos who publicly called for the team principal to resign in the wake of the scandal.
However Horner says his team became more united than ever as the saga unfolded, adding: ‘In times of difficulty and when stones are being thrown, it actually galvanises a team.
‘I think there was an element of “f**k you” from the team this year. Our people were saying, “we are a strong team, no matter what you throw at us, bring it on”.
‘I never felt I might have to walk away. I believed in myself. I believed in the process. I trusted in the process that was scrupulously applied by the company and I just had to trust to that. When I was on the plane to Bahrain, I didn’t know whether I was going to be at the race or not.
‘I have had tremendous support and backing from the shareholders and from within the company. It was actually quite emotional before the first race when I addressed the factory. The support and the reception that the team gave me, I will never, ever forget that.’
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