F1 boss Christian Horner has broken his silence to talk about how he and his wife, Spice Girls' Geri Halliwell, coped with the sexting scandal.
Horner, team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing, home to three-time defending champion Max Verstappen, was accused of sending racy text messages to a female employee at the team earlier this year.
Horner told the story for the first time. In an interview with the Daily Mail.
“What happened earlier this year felt like a perfect storm,” Horner said. “It's a great lesson in life that the more successful you are, the more you become a target. Things that can be used to make you, your team, your business insecure and unstable. Above all, What disappointed me was the steps people took to achieve it.
Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing by a Red Bull investigation.
In an interview, Mr Halliwell said he had been “very cooperative”.
“You stay true to yourself, and I'm so lucky to have a wonderful family. My wife was incredible. Your partner is always the one with whom you share your difficulties. She was really good and very supportive,” Horner said.
“She saw through a lot by having an outside perspective, and it's good to have that weight and measure. It's very important. When you face difficulties, you learn about yourself. I was absolutely determined to get through the difficult waters.”
As Verstappen looks to win his fourth consecutive F1 championship this weekend in Las Vegas, Horner spoke about how the controversy has brought the team closer together.
“When times are tough and stones are being thrown, it really energizes the team. I think there was an 'fk you' element to this year's team. “My staff said, 'We're a strong team, we'll do whatever they throw at us,'” Horner said.
“I never once thought I might have to walk away. I believed in myself. I believed in the process. I trusted in the process that the company meticulously applied. “When I was on the plane to Bahrain, I didn't know if I would be able to race,” Horner said.
“But I had to believe in the process. I've had so much support and support from our shareholders and everyone in the company. In fact, when I addressed the factory before the first race, I was pretty emotional. As usual, I put together a summary of the test and my goals for the season, but it was completely haphazard.”
