- Christian Horner was accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by a staff member
- The team principal has categorically denied the accusations made against him
- Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko broke his silence on the topic
Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has broken his silence on Christian Horner’s alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Horner, 50, is subject of an internal inquiry into his conduct following a complaint – which he categorically denies – made by a female employee and is set to speak today at Red Bull’s car launch.
He is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, who ‘fears her life will unravel’. An external lawyer — an English KC — has been appointed to investigate the complaint, which accused Horner of controlling behaviour.
On Thursday, Red Bull’s senior advisor Marko was asked about the subject and explained to OE24: ‘I can’t tell you that and I can’t say anything else on this subject,’ when asked how much the Horner case is affecting the team’s preparation.
He went on: ‘As long as the investigation is ongoing or there is no result, you won’t hear anything from me. It is an ongoing process.
Christian Horner will speak today for the first time since the probe was launched
Geri Halliwell (right), is said to fear her life will unravel, and Helmut Marko (left), broke his silence on the subject of her husband’s investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour
‘Fortunately, our car is ready and we are well prepared,’ he added.
The woman made her claims about Horner to Red Bull’s parent company in Austria rather than the team itself and they issued a statement confirming the investigation.
The probe is causing personal strife for Horner’s wife, Halliwell, 51, and a source told Closer: ‘Obviously this has been a hellish time for Geri and she’s been in a state of absolute turmoil – trying to hold it together for the kids while quietly crumbling inside.
They added: ‘She says she feels like she’s in a living nightmare and is absolutely terrified about how things could unravel.’
The source claimed that she wants to support her husband in any way she can and is determined this won’t break their family apart, despite feeling ‘anxious’ about the drama.
All eyes will be on Horner today at Red Bull’s car launch for the upcoming Formula One season.
But the boss of the world championship-winning team is likely to be limited on what he will say for legal reasons.
Marko admitted he couldn’t say whether the case had distracted from the team’s preparation
Halliwell is said to want to stand by her man in the face of the allegations
Red Bull had wanted the issue dealt with ahead of today, an event at which the triple world champion and team-mate Sergio Perez will also be present.
But the legal to-and-fro has changed the timeline and could drag beyond pre-season testing in Bahrain next week or to the first race at the same Gulf venue on March 2.
According to Mail Sport’s Jonathan McEvoy, Horner will not be drawn on the specifics of the issue but will confront what the controversy potentially means for Red Bull’s focus on their world championship defence.
There is no known timescale for the resolution of the issue.
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