Christian Horner YAWNS his way through practice session at the Japanese GP… as the under-fire Red Bull chief cuts a tired figure in the wake of his ‘sex texts’ scandal

Christian Horner was pictured yawning during Friday’s practice session ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, as speculation continues over his future in the wake of his ‘sexting’ scandal.

The Red Bull team principal was cleared of any wrongdoing following an internal investigation in February after being accused of “coercive behaviour” towards an employee.

However, text messages largely of a sexual nature which were allegedly sent by Horner were leaked to senior F1 figures and members of the media just 24 hours after he was acquitted, raising questions about his position once. once again.

Horner has continued to maintain that he has done nothing wrong, insisting that everything is “normal”, but looked tired on Friday as he yawned during the first practice session at the Suzuka circuit.

The 50-year-old seemed a little more cheerful as he chatted with Max Verstappen and Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko on Friday.

Horner was seen chatting with Max Verstappen ahead of Friday’s practice sessions at Suzuka.

He was also photographed smiling while speaking to Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko (right).

Horner looked a little more cheerful as he took the fan stage to interact with the crowd.

Rumors of a power struggle between Horner and Marko have refused to go away in recent weeks, but their conversation appeared positive when Horner was photographed smiling.

He also headed to the fan stage to speak to the crowd and was seen smiling as he filmed the mass of fans in Osaka.

Mail Sport revealed on Thursday that Horner’s former personal assistant Nicole Carling is back at Red Bull and is now organizing her diary following the fallout which saw Horner’s accuser suspended from her job. Carling will not be in Japan this weekend.

Horner’s wife, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, also supports her husband. The pair formed a united front at the season-opening race in Bahrain holding hands as they headed to the pit wall, while Halliwell also joined Horner in Saudi Arabia the following week.

The couple enjoyed a day of racing in Buckinghamshire last weekend while Horner took some time away from F1 over Easter.

More details have emerged about the fallout from the complaint filed against Horner this week, with a close friend of the accuser claiming she was left “intimidated and alone” and feels “silenced” after signing a confidentiality agreement.

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel also criticized F1’s attitude towards women, claiming the sport is “an old-fashioned business in many ways” and calling for “more transparency” about the wisdom surrounding Horner.

Horner’s wife Geri Halliwell (left) has continued to support him following the ‘sex texts’ scandal.

But former world champion Sebastian Vettel has called for “more transparency” about the saga surrounding the Red Bull boss.

Max Verstappen led the way in P1 as he looks to bounce back after failing to finish in Australia

It was another good start to the weekend for Red Bull, as three-time world champion Max Verstappen finished first in P1, with teammate Sergio Perez behind him in second.

The two Red Bull drivers looked in ominous shape as they returned to the track after the first practice session was initially red flagged when Williams’ Logan Sargeant crashed early.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Horner off the track, Red Bull still made a dominant start to the 2024 season, with Verstappen winning the first two races of the campaign in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

However, they suffered a setback in Australia last time, as Verstappen failed to finish and Perez only placed fifth.