Ginger Spice and her naughty F1 boss husband

When gossip columns and car racing collide

When the Spice Girls were at their absolute height I was still in junior school. I liked their music well enough – Wannabe was a certified bop – but I never was wild about them to the same degree as my peers. 

This might lead you to think I was a soulful child. One who was reading books and listening to the Beatles on vinyl instead. But that was not the case, either. It was more that when everyone wanted to be a Spice Girl, I wanted to be a pony instead.  

In a fantasy world where you could be anything, why would you be a human woman clomping around in high-heeled boots? Doing a job? Paying taxes? Far better to be some kind of mystical pegasus-unicorn hybrid I think. But unlike most pony girls, I had some social sense. I knew that I was already behind in the popularity stakes due to being fat and having a bowl cut. If I wasn’t willing to pretend to be a Spice Girl, it was all over.

Divvying up which girl got to be which Spice Girl was politically fraught. Friendships were broken over who got Posh or Baby. No one really wanted to be Ginger, though. But as someone who was both ambivalent about the Spice Girls and eager to improve my social standing, I took on that role with an air of gracious maturity. 

I still feel a slight camaraderie towards Ginger Spice to this day.

Perhaps that’s why I’m particularly incensed that her husband, the principal of the Formula 1 Team Red Bull racing, has been accused of inappropriate behaviour to a female colleague. As Geri Halliwell’s occasional proxy, I can say that she deserves better.    

Now because we’re all visual creatures, for reference, this is Christian Horner. In his prime: 

Presumably Geri Halliwell hadn’t seen this photo back in 2009 when they first met in Monaco. Horner was there with Red Bull, Halliwell was one of the many bored-looking celebrities shipped in to add some glamour to the event. There were a few more meeting between the two over the years and eventually romance blossomed.  

Shame about Horner’s long-term partner. 

But no big problem, really. Just six months after giving birth to Horner’s first born child, she was out and Geri was in. They officially announced their relationship in 2014.   

If Christian Horner, the Red Bull PR machine, and Netflix are to be believed, it’s been smooth sailing every since. He’s painted as a doting father, loving husband, and a highly effective leader of one of the sport’s most dominant teams. You certainly can’t fault his work in 2023. Last year Red Bull won all but one race. 

The car is a weapon. Their strategy is flawless. Their best driver Max Verstappen doesn’t make mistakes. Christian Horner has made winning just look so easy. But things haven’t been so smooth behind the scenes. 

Firstly, I will do the responsible thing and report precisely what is known. And then I will do the slightly less responsible thing and trepidatiously go through the rumour mill. 

So here’s what is certain: a woman who has worked with Red Bull alleges there was inappropriate behaviour by Christian Horner. This led to an independent investigation, a 150-page report, and the complaint being dismissed. 

Red Bull’s statement on the matter said: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed. The complainant has a right of appeal.”

The wording here is careful and intentionally opaque. Saying: the grievance has been dismissed is very different to Christian Horner has been cleared of any wrongdoing. 

What precisely does it mean to dismiss a grievance? Red Bull does not want us to know. They refuse to share the report, even with the Formula 1’s governing body, or even say who the barrister who carried out the investigation was. Either way, Horner was vindicated and happily put the matter behind him. This lasted for less than two days. 

Here’s where things get dicier.

Someone – we do not know who – then leaked pages of WhatsApp messages reportedly between Christian and the complainant in the form of an email with a Google Drive link. The subject was “Christian Horner investigation evidence” and the body of the email read: “Following Red Bull’s recent investigation and statements you will be interested to see the materials attached”. This was sent to several high-profile motoring journalists, the FIA and F1 management. 

The drool on every reporter’s keyboard wouldn’t have been dry before a tersely worded legal letter arrived in their inbox. They were told to publish at their own peril. Horner’s lawyers, the same who look after the Royals, were clear of their intention to sue any outlet who put the contents of that folder online or in print. 

Boo. How boring. 

Most news organisations have followed this directive. They’ve largely neglected to mention the legal threats, however. Instead they’ve opted to say that the text messages are unverified and it’s irresponsible to republish them. Unfortunately for Horner, the folder has been gleefully shared on Twitter and Reddit. 

With the horse out of the gate, Horner published a statement which read: “I will not comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations”.

Personally, if dozens of messages I hadn’t written were published maliciously under my name, I’d release a statement saying: I didn’t write those text messages. 

But each to their own. 

Having perused this forbidden folder of delights, I can say it’s mostly filled with lukewarm reciprocated flirting written by people who know the cost of having their messages leaked. But here and there the tone seems less benign, more badgering, more explicit. In one of these unverified messages, the woman blankly asks the other to stop. Ever present is the power discrepancy between the two parties. 

There are also a few extremely unflattering selfies of Horner. Not of an overtly sexual nature but embarrassing nonetheless. The man can manage a racing team, sure. But he can’t manage to use a camera phone well. 

If this were me, I would crawl into a hole, die, be reincarnated, dig a deeper hole, and die again. 

But this is Christian Horner. He’s on an eight million pound salary and had the first race of the Formula 1 season to attend in Bahrain. He turned up, looking stony faced, with a Geri Halliwell smiling blandly like a hostage. 

On the track it was a dream run. Red Bull came first and second in the race (a sign of another boring season ahead). Horner fronted the media knowing they would not be throwing softball questions about how their car got so fast.  

When asked about the leaked files he repeated a variation of his earlier statement.

“I’m not going to comment. I’m not going to comment on anonymous speculative messages from an unknown source. So they’re from an unknown source, which I’m not going to comment on. So, next question.”

A journalist then asked more specifically: “Are they genuine?”.

Horner didn’t have to answer. Someone from Red Bull PR cut him off. 

At the moment Horner and his team think they can kill this story with a combination of legal threats and silence. It won’t be that simple. 

Of course, Horner’s detractors – namely rival team bosses – are asking that the report be shared outside of Red Bull, so it can be determined what precisely he was cleared of and in what manner. This is to be expected. But perhaps the loudest voice against Christian Horner is Jos Verstappen, star racer Max Verstappen’s dad. The tension between Jos and Christian is well-documented and goes back many years.

Max would have barely been out of his helmet after decisively winning the first race of the season when Jos was talking to the Daily Mail. On the controversy Jos said: “The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode.”

Jos Verstappen’s involvement only adds another layer of grease to what is already a slimy and unbecoming story. 

Jos is, of course, the last person you would want as a moral arbitrator. He has been found guilty of assault (fracturing a man’s skull on a go-kart track), guilty of contravening an restraining order (sending threatening text messages to his ex-wife) and had an attempted murder charge brought against him by a different former-partner (she later withdrew the complaint).  

I can’t help but think that women are, once again, being screwed here. In this Red Bull saga they are either a prop or a wedge, with little agency in either instance. Halliwell smiles on Horner’s arm in a show of unity, while reports say she is humiliated and her marriage is in shambles. Meanwhile a woman’s sensitive workplace complaint is being weaponised by a grub with domestic violence charges in order to fulfill his own machinations. These women are at the centre of the story but totally voiceless. It’s uncomfortable watching them being moved on the chessboard like pawns. I reckon if Geri could choose between being herself or a unicorn-pegasus hybrid, at the moment she’d probably choose that latter as well.

Speculation says such a clear attack on Horner by Jos Verstappen can’t and won’t be ignored. The simmering power struggles between key players in the Red Bull empire is likely to erupt into a very public civil war soon.

Good.

Personally, I wish everyone in Red Bull’s management misery and misfortune. Hopefully their conniving and misbehaving leads to the team’s collapse, a more interesting 2024 Formula 1 season, and Monster Energy Drink buying the whole bloody lot up.

On that note, happy Monday.

I’ll see you same time next week.