Defiant Christian Horner denies ‘inappropriate behaviour’ claim & praises wife Geri Halliwell at Red Bull car launch

CHRISTIAN Horner has praised his wife for her support as he again denied accusations of "inappropriate behaviour" brought against him.

The Red Bull Racing boss made his first public appearance today since the energy drink giant launched an internal investigation against him 12 days ago.

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Horner, 50, was speaking as the team launched their F1 car for the new season from their Milton Keynes HQ where he said FOUR times that he denied the allegations and was complying with Red Bull's investigation.

The boss, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, was quizzed by an independent legal expert last Friday as part of the process following a complaint raised by a female colleague.

In one interview with Dutch journalists, Horner praised Geri: "I have a very supportive family and a very supportive wife.

"My focus has been on the job and the season ahead. I'm not going to talk about private matters, but my family have been hugely supportive."

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In an interview this evening, Horner said it was business as usual pending the outcome of the report and said he plans to be in Bahrain next week for preseason F1 testing.

He said: "I'm absolutely committed to this team. I've been here since the beginning. I've built this team. There's been highs and lows along the way.

"We have won 113 races. Won seven drivers' world championships. We've won six constructors' world championships in 19 seasons, and you know, that's in the history books.

"But it's what lies ahead, because that's what's important. So my focus is on the future."

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It came as he made his first public appearance since the accusations dropped, and smiled as he appeared alongside former Red Bull driver David Coulthard.

As the pair reflected on the retired racing driver's time with the team, Horner said: "It's a very inclusive culture, it's a team culture."

He said: "It's everything. The men and women here at Milton Keynes, all the people behind the scenes.

"It's out of these industrial buildings that we've created these incredible cars.

"For me, Formula 1 is a team sport, and it's the people that are the single biggest assets."

There had been speculation that Horner had been caught up in a powerplay at the heart of the reigning F1 world champions.

The F1 team is based in Milton Keynes while Red Bull's HQ is in Austria, the home of the drink's founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away in 2022.

But Horner appears to have played down reports of a rift between the two divisions by insisting he has been given support in his current situation.

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ANALYSIS: Horner stands defiant

By Ben Hunt, Motorsport Correspondent

CHRISTIAN HORNER faced the music for the first time since the bombshell dropped 12 days ago.

And he looked like a man who had not slept a wink of sleep since.

Dressed in his usual attire of jeans, white shirt covered by a jumper and dark jacket but unusually he wore glasses.

He sat on a plastic chair surrounded by journalists who were under the instruction not to press the 50-year-old about the internal investigation he has been subjected to.

But this is Horner's team - the one he has helped build since he first walked through the door here in Milton Keynes in 2005.

He would not be pigeonholed. To his sizable credit, he did not bulk at the carefully worded questions designed to elicit as much information as possible without straying into the red.

He answered everything he was faced with, repeating four times that he denied all the allegations made against him by a female colleague.

He spoke softly and calmly and he even made a joke at the end of the media session where he asked what we thought about the new car - there had not been a single question about it.

The matter is out of his hands and being taken care of at the energy drink's HQ in Austria after they chose to start their own private investigation.

The message from Horner is clear - that he has nothing to hide, this is his team and they were launching their challenger for 2024 in their Milton Keynes HQ looking to defend their titles.

He added: "I feel the support within the business, within our partners, within the industry - it is overwhelming.

"There's a process that's ongoing at the moment. Some allegations have been made, which I fully deny and I have fully complied with that process and will continue to do so.

"I think it's been very clear. In the position of Red Bull, it has been business as normal.

"The allegation is a process that Red Bull are running through and they confirmed that process externally.

"But there's a job to do - I denied fully the accusations and my role obviously continues."

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Horner was asked how he has been able to concentrate on his work with the accusations swirling around and coping being thrust into the spotlight.

He added: "I will continue to do so until the conclusion of the process, the internal process - I can't tell you what that process consists of."

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