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Christian Horner Should QUIT Red Bull After Sexting Scandal – This Is The Max Verstappen Show Now, Ex-F1 Star Says

RED Bull chief Christian Horner should step down before the team is ripped apart by his sexting scandal, a former F1 star warned.

British racing legend Johnny Herbert told The Sun that "the Horner show" must end so the team can cling onto their true star, Max Verstappen.

Brit racing star Johnny Herbert said Christian Horner should step aside in the wake of the sexting stormCredit: AP

Horner and reigning world champion Max Verstappen are picture at the Saudi Grand Prix on March 9Credit: EPA

Hebert told The Sun that 'it's not about the Christian Horner show, it's about the Max Verstappen show'Credit: Getty

The ex-Sky Sports pundit, 59, said the storm engulfing Red Bull Racing in the wake of allegations of controlling behaviour made by a female staffer against Horner, 50, is impacting all of F1.

He said: "It's not a good thing for F1 with the whole thing going on and the belated heat on it."

Herbert, a three-time Grand Prix winner who raced in F1 between 1989 and 2000, argued: "It doesn't help the situation for Red Bull who have the best driver in the world at the present time.

"And they're very close to pushing [Max Verstappen] out off the team, I've heard they are getting quite close with the deal with Mercedes.

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Speaking to us via sports betting website Betideas.Com, Herbert said: "It's the impact, the possible destroying of the team and the success they have had.

"It's not about the Christian Horner show, it's about the Max Verstappen show as he is the one winning all these races and championships for Red Bull."

The veteran driver - who is a long-term friend and former teammate of Michael Schumacher - believes it would be not be a wise move for Verstappen to abandon the Milton Keynes-based team.

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Hebert said: "It would be crazy for Max to leave because of the situation...Jos [Verstappen] has said it will be very destructive and rip it apart and I think it's gone on for far too long.

"In some respects, Christian should really think about it and step aside."

What started as Horner's personal controversy has morphed into an power struggle within Red Bull in recent weeks.

On Sunday, sources alleged that Horner has agreed to a "public ceasefire" with senior management after emergency crunch talks.

But the internal battles at the sports top constructor are set to end after Horner, Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko seemingly agreed to stop their disputes, The Mirror reported.

Verstappen Sr, 52, had been publicly backing the suspended female employee and called for Horner to be axed, accusing him of ripping the team apart.

When asked if it was time to "draw a line" under the situation, as Horner insisted people do, Jos said: "I think it's a bit too late for that now.

"If that's what he wants, fine, but I don't think it will be possible."

As Hebert alluded to, there are rumblings in the Vertsappen camp that the reigning world champ could quit Red Bull in the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Helmut Marko, the team's iconic senior adviser, has reportedly distanced himself from Horner since the allegations came to light.

The 80-year-old was even placed under investigation by Red Bull over issues related to the leaking of WhatsApp messages from an anonymous email relating to the Horner investigation.

But now the trio have now agreed to halt their squabbling for the benefit of the team as insiders feel the pre-season distractions are taking their toll.

Verstappen has been vocal in his admiration for mentor Marko and is thought to be loyal to him and his former racing driver dad no matter what.

It means that if Red Bull chooses to punish or abandon either man it could tear Red Bull apart by sparking Verstappen's exit.

Despite the six-week saga, Horner has been putting forward a consistent business-as-usual front in his £8million-a-year role.

Herbert celebrates a podium finish with Michael Schumacher in 1995Credit: Getty

SCANDAL... LAP BY LAP

FEBRUARY 5: A Dutch newspaper reports a female Red Bull employee has made serious allegations of "inappropriate, controlling behaviour" about Horner to parent company Red Bull GmbH.

FEB 9: Horner is quizzed for nine hours by the lawyer hired by Red Bull to investigate.

FEB 15: He denies the allegations and says they are a distraction for the team.

FEB 15: F1 says it hopes the matter will be clarified at the earliest opportunity after a fair and thorough process.

FEB 26: Red Bull's engine partner Ford says it is increasingly frustrated by the team's handling of the complaint.

FEB 28: Horner is cleared of all wrongdoing. The employee is said to have the right of appeal.

FEB 29: Horner says he is pleased the investigation is over.

FEB 29: WhatsApp texts and pictures claimed to be between Horner and the employee are sent to journalists and F1.

MARCH 1: Horner refuses to comment on what he calls "anonymous speculation from unknown sources".

MAR 2: Horner and wife Geri are pictured hand-in-hand, as Red Bull's Max Verstappen wins the Bahrain Grand Prix. Horner says before the race: "It's been very testing for my family but we are very strong and our focus is on this race."

MAR 3: Verstappen's dad Jos, claims Red Bull is in "danger of being torn apart" if Horner stays in the job. He denies being the source of the WhatsApp leak, saying: "It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems."

MAR 6: Max Verstappen sides with his dad in the row.

MAR 7: Horner says he wants to draw a line under the scandal and hails Geri's support — as Red Bull suspends the employee.

MAR 15: Horner's accuser allegedly launches an appeal against the investigation that saw the Red Bull chief cleared.

MAR 16: The female employee lodges a complaint against Horner with the FIA.

MAR 17: Horner reportedly agrees to 'public ceasefire' with senior Red Bull Racing management to quell the drama

Verstappen and Marko are seen as close pals meaning if one of them leaves Red Bull they both could leaving the team in chaos

Jos Verstappen has been publicly calling for Horner to be axed The latest

It comes as the woman who accused Horner of inappropriate behaviour has now lodged a complaint against him with the sport's ruling body the FIA.

The unnamed woman, who has been suspended from her job at the team's base in Milton Keynes, has now made three complaints over Horner's conduct since the start of February, it is claimed.

On March 7, the woman was suspended on full pay from Red Bull HQ amid claims her "honesty was called into question."

The reasons allegedly given to her were that she appeared dishonest owing to inconsistencies in the evidence she had provided.

At the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, the F1 chief and his Ginger Spice wife Geri, 51, put on a united - if awkward - display.

Despite Geri's very visual display of standing by her man, sources claim that the singer is "in turmoil".

Speaking at the press conference, Horner said he was keen to "draw a line" under the scandal and that it was time to "focus on what is going on on track."

The F1 season returns this week in Melbourne for the Australian GP and the off-track drama has done little to slow down the dominating Verstappen, who has both past races easily.

Marko, Verstappen and Horner celebrate their win in JeddahCredit: Getty

Geri Halliwell is standing by her man and put on a united front in Saudi ArabiaCredit: AFP

Verstappen is said to be considering moving to Mercedes due to the ongoing drama engulfing his teamCredit: AFP

Red Bull Turmoil Is 'damaging' F1, Says Boss Of Governing Body

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The president of the body that governs Formula One has warned that the furore over Red Bull Racing chief Christian Horner is "damaging" the sport, following allegations of inappropriate conduct by the British team boss.

Speaking on Friday after meeting Horner, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, acknowledged the impact of the claims about the Red Bull team boss's behaviour towards a female colleague.

"It's damaging the sport . . . This is damaging on a human level," Ben Sulayem told the Financial Times.

But he added that the governing body currently had no plans to conduct its own investigation because it had not received a formal complaint itself.

Red Bull said on Wednesday that a complaint against Horner had been dismissed following a barrister-led investigation into the allegations, which Horner repeatedly denied.

A day later, a cache of messages was anonymously sent to Ben Sulayem, F1 chief Stefano Domenicali, Toto Wolff, the boss of rival F1 team Mercedes, and other leading figures in motorsport. It contained screenshots of messages allegedly exchanged between Horner and the woman whose complaint had triggered the investigation.

Responding to questions about the email, Horner said he would not comment on "anonymous speculation" and reiterated that he had "always denied the allegations".

"I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully co-operated with it every step of the way," he said. "It was a thorough and fair investigation, conducted by an independent specialist barrister, and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season."

Horner and Ben Sulayem met in Bahrain on Friday, a day before Red Bull begins the defence of its constructors' and drivers' titles in the Middle Eastern island state.

Ben Sulayem declined to comment on what the two men discussed but said a barrister had undertaken a "thorough investigation" on behalf of Red Bull.

The FIA president added that it was vital to "protect our sport from all of this".

"It is the beginning of the season. F1 is becoming so popular," he said. "We just need to enjoy the beginning of the season. Look at the competition. Why do we overshadow it with negativity?"

The Emirati former rally driver, who has led the FIA since his election in December 2021, cautioned that the governing body "cannot jump the gun" but that it had to "look into any complaint that comes through our compliance officer".

Formula One, which is owned by US group Liberty Media, and Ben Sulayem's FIA are discussing the situation, according to people with knowledge of the matter. F1 and the FIA declined to comment.

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The investigation has drawn scrutiny from rival teams and from US automaker Ford, which is planning to re-enter F1 in 2026 through a partnership with Red Bull. The US car company, which had previously called for a transparent and rapid investigation, declined to comment on the latest allegations.

Asked about the cache, Red Bull said it would be inappropriate to comment on "a private matter between Mr Horner and another". Red Bull Racing, the F1 team owned by the Austrian energy drinks group, declined to comment.

Red Bull has not published the investigation report, adding that the complainant can still appeal against its decision not to pursue the matter.

Horner, 50, has led Red Bull Racing since early 2005, shortly after the late Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of the drinks company, bought the F1 team.

The F1 team chief, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, has been one of the stars of the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive, which has been credited with boosting the popularity of the sport.

He has led Red Bull to six constructors' championships — which measure the performance of the entire team — and seven drivers' titles.

In The Toughest Seat In F1, Sergio Pérez Finds Purpose Outside The Grid

Audible shock and anguish echoed throughout the grandstands at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the motorsports track nestled in Mexico City.

Seconds earlier, the red lights had gone out and as 20 Formula One cars barreled towards Turn 1, the Red Bulls pulled on either side of pole sitter Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen took the inside line while Sergio Pérez made a daring move around the outside, vying to jump from his fifth-place starting position to the front of the pack. But the three-wide moment became a disaster for Mexico's pride and joy.

Pérez and Leclerc collided, sending the RB19 into the air and knocking Pérez out of his home race. That's the nature of F1 — the balance of risk and reward — and the Red Bull driver had known he might have to pay the price for a daring move. When asked whether he'd take the risk again, he paused, the question hanging in the air for a few seconds.

"Yes, I would," he finally answered.

The misfortune mirrored much of his 2023 season. Pérez won two of the four opening races and looked poised to fight for the driver's title against Verstappen, the reigning champion, but then his performance slipped while the Dutchman soared to record-breaking numbers. Questions arose about the status of Pérez's seat, especially with fan favorite and Red Bull's third driver Daniel Ricciardo mulling a return. Those still linger now, with Pérez's contract being up at the end of 2024.

But even with an expectedly hot driver market looming and immense pressure building around him with a new season underway, Pérez has found peace and focused on an inspiration: his youngest son seeing him compete.

"Life is not about trophies and championships," Pérez told The Athletic a few days prior to his Mexico City GP crash, "or anything like that."

As confetti fell over the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix podium, a young boy sat off to the side, crossing his arms and leaning them on the platform in front of him. He laid his head to the right and peered up at a trio of drivers: Verstappen, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and his father, Sergio Pérez.

The boy, Sergio Jr. — also known as Chequito — was basking in his dad's third-place finish that day. The cheers and chants around him came with good reason: Pérez was the first Mexican driver to secure a podium finish at his home race.

Chequito would eventually hop into a go-kart, showing "a very high level of talent," according to his father. But unlike today's Mexican youth, Pérez himself didn't have a countryman to admire in F1, making his dream of competing in the world's premier motorsport series harder to envision.

"I dreamed about it, but for a Mexican kid of 6 years old to think about Formula One, it's like you are mental," Pérez said. "We didn't have any Mexican driver in Formula One. It's not like it is now. Now, the Mexican kids jump into karting, and they all want to go into Formula One because they see that is possible.

"For me, it was very different."

The Guadalajara native faced a more practical obstacle to his dream of becoming a pro racer: His family "didn't have the money to pay for" his career, he said. Moreover, at one point in Pérez's early teens, the Mexican racing federation pulled his license after he collided with an older, more influential driver. But his situation caught the attention of Escuderia Telmex, a racing company that helps find opportunities for Mexican and Latin American drivers, and it later sponsored him.

They sent him to the U.S., "and I knew that the U.S. Route was to IndyCar, and I knew that's not the way, and I cannot get to Europe too late," said Pérez. So, at 14, he shifted course, leaving his native continent for Europe, his eyes set on F1.

Pérez made it to the pinnacle of motorsports in 2011 and spent the next decade competing for Sauber, McLaren, Force India (his longest stint) and Racing Point. He navigated terminated contracts and legal battles, found his form again in the midfield, secured his first win during the pandemic-shortened season and lost a well-earned seat before landing at Red Bull in 2021. It happened to be one of the most difficult positions on the grid: Verstappen's teammate.

As he endured the rollercoaster known as F1, his world began changing off-track. Chequito was born in December 2017, and Pérez married his wife, Carola, the following year. They now have four children. Marriage and the growth of his family changed Pérez's perspective on racing.

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"As I got married in my career, as I have kids, it's something new and something that you start to know yourself a little bit more," Pérez said. "In the end, I find (it) really important to be able to disconnect from (F1)."

Before he had kids, Pérez focused on race after race. "It's a sport that demands 100 percent," he said, and he's as dedicated as ever. "But once you become a dad, you just realize that life is much more than Formula One, or at least it's what happened to me. … It made me more human."

"Max! How many — sorry — how many Red Bulls do you drink a day?"

Just a few feet away from where Pérez was speaking inside Red Bull's hospitality building one afternoon at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Verstappen paused his conversation and perked up at his teammate's inquiry. "Many," he said. "I think I'm on my third one."

"Ah, three," Pérez responded. "I felt like five or six a day."

The casual, lighthearted moment in Mexico contrasted the previous several months. The 2023 campaign started full of promise for Pérez, whose two wins plus a sprint victory put him hot on Verstappen's heels. Red Bull was dominant, and it looked like a thrilling driver's championship battle could unfold. Then came round five, the Miami Grand Prix.

"Miami, for me, was a big turning point for Checo," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said in December. "Psychologically, that was a massive blow for him that weekend."

The combination of a rare Verstappen mistake and a red flag-triggering crash by Leclerc left Pérez on pole and his teammate starting P9. That didn't slow down the Dutchman, though. Verstappen caught up to his teammate and ultimately pulled away for the win, the first of his record-setting 10 consecutive victories.

Pérez's performance unraveled from there, especially in qualifying. He missed getting in the top 10 eight times in the span of 17 races. In comparison, he had lined up outside of the top 10 on race day in 2022 only three times (some of which were due to grid penalties). "It's confidence at the end of the day," Horner said. "It's being able to extract the most out of a single lap at the highest point of grip that you have on a new set of tires."

Red Bull's year became a tale of two drivers. Verstappen collected his third title, scoring enough points to have won the constructors' championship single-handed. Pérez finished second with 285 points — 290 fewer than Verstappen and just 51 more than Mercedes' Hamilton. He entered the offseason facing plenty of questions about his future at Red Bull.

"Look, being Max's teammate is tough. It's mentally hugely tough for whoever the incumbent is in the second car," Horner said. "You've got to have a certain resolve and character to be prepared to go up against Max."

After a bad day, drivers are quick to say they're already focusing on the next race. It's different to actually act on it. "It is not like I'm bulletproof to it," Pérez said. "I say it easily, but I know that if I have a bad result on Sunday, I will feel it for many weeks."

Looking back over the season, Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley said Pérez impressed him with how he bounced back from the challenges, considering the mental strength it took. "Most drivers, it would take the whole winter to get the mindset back, but he did an extraordinary job.

"He's somebody you do not underestimate."

"Why do you love F1?"

The Athletic posed this simple question to Pérez while shadowing him during his home race weekend. He paused for a few seconds. "Because I make good money." He barely finished the sentence before he started laughing. The real answer? His competitive nature.

Once you get to a certain level of a sport, it's hard to walk away, Pérez said. And he appreciates what his presence in F1 means to others. "You are like a force for our countries. We are a big inspiration."

There is plenty of talk about the status of his seat beyond this season. Pérez qualified fifth in the 2024 opener in Bahrain and navigated his way up the grid to finish second (and 22 seconds behind Verstappen).

Asked in Bahrain what the minimum was that Pérez needed to do to keep his seat, Horner said, "There's no set criteria. He's got to do enough to earn that seat, and days like today, it's exactly what he's got to deliver." On Saturday, Pérez took second in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, again behind Verstappen.

Pérez is not ready to walk away from the pinnacle of motorsport just yet. "Every Sunday after the meeting (with my engineers), I go home, and I'm like 'F—, I love this thing,' because being able to communicate with this level of engineering, with this level of drivers, working alongside Max, with the best engineers in the world, I mean, it's just something amazing."

Whether it was speaking with him inside Red Bull's hospitality building or after the race-ending crash in Mexico, one could see the fire is still in his eyes. That Red Bull spot is one of the top, most sought-after seats in F1, but as far as Horner is concerned, "It's Checo's seat to lose. He's the one that we're backing, he's our 2024 driver. If he does a great job (in 2024), there's no reason we wouldn't extend him into 2025."

The biggest lesson F1 has taught Pérez is "not to get carried away. Knowing that you are not as good as when you win, and you are not as bad as when you lose." It's about keeping perspective, and part of that is his life off-track.

He is 34 and a father of four. There are a few other F1 drivers older than him, such as Nico Hülkenberg (36 and also a father) and Hamilton (39), but Pérez doesn't see himself being like two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who is 42. While he can "admire" the Spaniard's accomplishments, Pérez said, "I'm different. Different from the point of view that I got a family, I got the four kids, and I want to see them growing. When they get to certain ages, I want to be very present and I want to enjoy with them and take them to fight for their dreams, whatever dream that is. I want to be part of their dreams.

"I know that I'm not going to be here forever, but one of my inspirations is that my youngest son gets to see me racing. So (retirement is) not going to be any time soon."

(Lead image: John Bradford / The Athletic; photos: Lars Baron / Getty; Dan Istitene / F1; Mark Thompson via Getty Images)

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