Leaked messages haunt Horner
LONDON – Christian Horner was back in the Bahraini paddock this morning after salacious messages he allegedly sent a female employee came to light on Thursday afternoon.
The 50-year-old husband of former Spice Girl, Geri, vowed to fight on within hours of the scandal deepening. But during practice on Friday, he left the pit wall to meet with the sport’s bosses.
After a night’s reflection, he is still clinging on at Red Bull, the team he has run for 19 years and led to 13 world championships, and intends to be on the pit wall for qualifying yesterday afternoon ahead of today’s opening grand prix of the season in the Gulf kingdom.
He is also fighting to save his nine-year marriage to Geri, who is said to ‘have had a total meltdown’ at the leak. Mail Sport exclusively revealed yesterday afternoon that his wife landed in Bahrain on Thursday evening in a private jet.
Hundreds of WhatsApp messages, many of a sexual nature, were sent to 149 of Formula One’s key figures, including all Horner’s fellow team principals, via an anonymous account. FIA president Mohammad Ben Sulayem, who is due in the paddock today, was also among the recipients and it remains to be seen if the governing body will step into the controversy. They, and owners of Formula One Management (FOM), are considering their next steps.
An option open to the FIA is Article 12.2.1.c of the International Sporting Code, which applies to, ‘Any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally.’
There is also Article 12.2.1.f, which cites: ‘Any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motor sport and on the values defended by the FIA.’
INVeSTIGATION
Also relevant, if Red Bull refused to co-operate with the FIA over the matter, or declined to hand over the Red Bull inquiry document, is Article 12.2.1.g. It states that ‘any failure to co-operate in an investigation’ will be deemed an offence.
Horner, speaking today to Sky on his way to the garage for third practice, said: ‘I am not going to comment on anonymous speculation from unknown sources.’
Asked what the next step was, he replied: ‘We go racing.’
Horner also changed his WhatsApp avatar yesterday. It is no longer the image that appears on the alleged exchanges with the woman in question.
Horner’s wife, former Spice Girl Halliwell, had planned to fly out to the Grand Prix taking place in Bahrain this weekend to reunite publicly with Horner, but those close to the former popstar have said it is now ‘highly unlikely’ that she will join him.
Instead the mother-of-two has been left ‘feeling humiliated’ after the messages were spread ‘so widely out there’, a friend added.
Horner was only cleared by Red Bull’s Salzburg-based parent company - and told he could stay on as team principal of the world-championship on a £8million-a-year-salary - 24 hours before the texts dropped.