Defiant Christian Horner ‘WON’T resign’ & ‘behaviour’ probe could drag on for months as start of new F1 season looms

CHRISTIAN Horner won’t be resigning amid a probe into his behaviour, a source close to the Formula One team boss has revealed.

The Red Bull team principle — married to Spice Girl Geri Halliwell — was yesterday questioned on his alleged “controlling” behaviour for a whopping eight hours.

GettyFormula One team boss Christian Horner is being investigated over allegations of inappropriate behaviour[/caption]

GettySpice Girl wife, Geri, has insisted the F1 boss has done nothing wrong[/caption]

Peter JordanThe F1 boss was grilled for hours over his conduct towards female staff[/caption]

And a source has claimed the investigation is nowhere near it’s end, with it potentially continuing after the start of the new F1 season on February 29.

The source said: “This is not a trial and we are not going to have an answer and an outcome by the end of the day.

“This is not something that is going to be rectified that quickly.

“But Christian has not been sacked or asked to resign and he is not going to resign.

“We are in an investigation and we have to respect the integrity of the investigation, which means ­letting it run its course.”

The Red Bull Racing chief was questioned by a barrister late into the afternoon on February 9.

The Sun told on Tuesday how Horner was being investigated over allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” towards a female colleague.

Horner, who runs the all-conquering team of world champion Max Verstappen, said: “I completely deny these claims.”

News of the allegations broke on February 5 as the team boss was locked in preparations for Red Bull’s defence of their championship titles.

Given Horner’s high-ranking position, the woman staffer is understood to have complained to the team’s parent company at Red Bull in Austria.

The allegations are said to centre on concerns about a strict work regime and do not include sexual impropriety.

Red Bull Racing’s Austria-based parent company said yesterday: “After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.

“This process, which is already underway, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister.

“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible.

“It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Horner, who has been Red Bull Racing’s “principal” since its founding in 2005, was quizzed by an external barrister hired by the Austrian company.

Today, BBC Sport reported insiders had told them that they did not expect Horner to survive the furore.

Staff at the team’s UK base in Milton Keynes have said they had no knowledge of the allegations when approached.

The probe threatens to overshadow the start of the new F1 season — with the first practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix taking place on February 29.

However, insiders say a decision on Horner’s future at the helm of the team was unlikely to be reached following today’s first meeting with the barrister.

Our source added: “People are expecting this to be over before the start of the F1 season, but that just isn’t going to happen.

“It will be a longer process than that as we have to conduct the investigation thoroughly.”

Wife Geri, 51, is understood to be standing by her husband and has told pals: “Christian has done nothing wrong.”

Former racing driver Horner and Geri married at a church ceremony in Woburn, Beds, in 2015 after a year-long engagement.

They have a seven-year-old son together and Horner has a daughter from a previous relationship.

Red Bull Racing has won seven Formula One world drivers’ championships and six world ­constructors’ titles since the team’s formation under Horner 19 years ago.

Last season, the team won 21 of the 22 races on the global F1 tour, and Verstappen, 26, won the drivers’ crown.

Horner was awarded a CBE for services to motor sport in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.

Red Bull Racing has declined to comment.

AFPHorner runs the Red Bull Racing team – which Max Verstappen races for[/caption]

Horner remains one of the most influential figures within Red Bull and Formula OneGetty

A look at Christian Horner’s life and career

CHRISTIAN Horner is among the most well-known names in Formula One having helped build Red Bull into one of the biggest teams in the sport.

1973 – Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

1991 – Wins a Formula Renault scholarship after impressing in karting races

1993-1997 – Competed in a host of competitions including British Formula Three, British Formula Two, and Formula 3000

1997 – Founded and developed the F3000 team Arden

1999 – Retired from driving and continued developing the Arden team

2005 – Appointed head of Red Bull team, becoming the youngest ever team principal at that time

2009 – Wins his first races as team principal with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber

2010 – Wins the Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship with Vettel – the first of four doubles in a row

2013 – Has a daughter with ex-wife Beverly Allen shortly before the couple split

2014 – Gets engaged to Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell

2015 – Marries Halliwell in Woburn, Bedfordshire

2017 – Horner and Halliwell welcome their son

2021 – Wins another Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen, pipping Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the season

2022-23 – Red Bull win the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship two years in a row