Geri Halliwell’s husband, Christian Horner, was fired from the F1 Red Bull team one year after he was cleared of workplace misconduct for sexting a female staffer.
“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO (chief executive) of Red Bull Racing,” a spokesperson for the company told Page Six in a statement Wednesday.
Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments at Red Bull, added, “We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years.
“With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history.”
Horner’s firing comes more than a year after he was accused of “coercive behavior” toward a female subordinate colleague, which he denied.
However, last February, Horner, 51, was cleared of any wrongdoing after Red Bull’s parent company launched an investigation allegedly conducted by an independent party.
One day after the misconduct probe concluded, hundreds of Horner’s WhatsApp messages and photos allegedly exchanged with the female staffer were reportedly sent to high-level F1 executives and leaked to the public.
The married F1 pro allegedly requested selfies from the woman and asked her what she was wearing.
One alleged message showed Horner discussing doing a solo sexual act in an aircraft bathroom during a flight to Dubai.
Despite the scandal, Halliwell, 52, stayed by her husband’s side and attended the Bahrain Grand Prix in March 2024 to show her support.
Horner and the former Spice Girls singer held hands and shared kisses at the racing event.
That same month, the British racing exec praised his “very supportive wife” for handling the media scrutiny surrounding them.
“My wife has been phenomenally supportive through this, as has my family, but the intrusion on my family is now enough, and we need to move forward and focus on what we are here for,” he said during a press conference ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah last March.
“It is time now to focus on why we are here, which is to go Formula 1 racing.”
Though Horner never faced any discipline for the alleged texts, the Formula 1 team suspended the unidentified woman for a week with full pay.
Though a Red Bull spokesperson denied commenting on the “internal matter,” sources told the Times of London that the reason for her suspension was related to the findings of the inquiry.
Horner and Halliwell tied the knot in May 2015 and share son Monty, 8.
They also each have daughters from previous relationships.