Geri and Christian Horner were the picture of unity at the Bahrain Grand Prix, smiling, embracing and even locking lips for the paps.
The display appeared to serve as a middle finger to the speculation about the state of their eight-year marriage, fuelled by the recent scandal the F1 Red Bull boss has been entangled in.
Christian, 50, was accused of “inappropriate and controlling behaviour” towards a female employee – something he strenuously denies – and a three-week internal investigation saw him cleared of the allegations. But instead of the conjecture quietening down, it only got louder, as less than 24 hours later, a series of sexually suggestive messages – alleged to be from the motorsport mogul to a female colleague – were leaked to journalists and sports bosses.
Christian later hailed his “phenomenally supportive” wife for standing by him, but we’re told Geri, 51, now thinks a getaway will be the answer to processing the very public bump in her personal life.
“This has been a week from hell for Geri. But she’s standing by her man and is determined to try and make the marriage work,” says heat’s source.
“As far as she’s concerned, they’re a team, and they’re going to stick together and work through everything. As hurtful as it has been to go through this so publicly, Geri wants to believe Christian has been transparent with her. He’s extremely grateful for her support at such a crucial time and he understands the strain that it’s put on her shoulders.”
However, the source adds it’s not quite all cut and dried.
“Geri has confessed she needs a break to process it all. She doesn’t want it to look like she is running away from it, or turning her back on Christian, but once the dust settles, she is eager to have a solo trip somewhere.
“She wants to just take stock of everything and figure out her next step – what she will say about it, what she won’t and how she’s going to move forward. What she really needs is some space away from all the drama to come back feeling stronger than ever.”
