Devastating twist to Christian Horner sacking after first wife's death
Beverley Allen, 58, who is also the mother of Horner's daughter Olivia, 11, died last Monday, two years after being diagnosed with eye cancer, The Sun reports.
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
The pair had been together for 14 years before Horner married Geri Halliwell in 2015.
One of Beverley's friends told MailOnline: 'Beverley was a lovely woman and it is so cruel what has happened to her.
'She found out she had eye cancer a couple of years ago and she was aware that it wasn't going to be a very good prognosis but it is still a devastating shock.
'Beverley was loved by everyone who knew her. It's just heartbreaking.'
The pair were together throughout his rise to F1 stardom throughout the early and mid 2000s.
And days after her death, Horner was dramatically sacked by Red Bull after leading the team to multiple constructors' championships.
The unceremonious firing comes after he was previously embroiled in a sexting scandal over messages he allegedly sent to a female employee.
Horner denied the accusations throughout the scandal.
Alongside the F1 boss, many of Horner's allies were also fired on a day that sent shockwaves through the sport.
The move was part of a clear-out by the team's Austrian parent company, with Horner giving an emotional leaving speech to hundreds of his staff at their Milton Keynes HQ.
Many had been appointed to their jobs by the 51-year-old team chief and a source called the relationships a 'double-edged sword'.
Horner was replaced immediately by Frenchman Laurent Mekies, 48, who has run Red Bull's sister team Racing Bulls since the start of 2024.
Horner will remain employed by the company, where he is thought to make £9 million ($18.6 million) a year, but is effectively on indefinite gardening leave.
Horner was the longest-reigning F1 boss, having taken charge of the Austrian team when it was bought from Jaguar in 2005.
In May, he batted away rumours he would join Ferrari, declaring: 'It's always flattering to be associated with other teams, but my commitment is with Red Bull.'
In a tearful farewell speech at the team's Milton Keynes base, Horner received lengthy ovations from his colleagues.
Horner said: 'Yesterday, I was informed by Red Bull that operationally I would no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward.
'I will still remain employed by the company, but, operationally the baton will be handed over.
'It came as a shock to myself. I've had a chance to reflect over the last 12 hours and wanted to stand in front of all of you to break this news.
'And to express my gratitude to each and every single member of the team that has given so much during the last 20-and-a-half years that I've been here.
'When I arrived 20 years ago, with a few less grey hairs, I walked into a team and did not know what to expect.
'But I was immediately welcomed and we started to build what became a powerhouse in F1.
'Watching and being part of this team, has been the biggest privilege of my life.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wimbledon clash of the titans as Alcaraz, Sinner face off
Carlos Alcaraz will target a third successive Wimbledon title as Jannik Sinner aims to win the All England Club crown for the first time in the latest enthralling chapter of their burgeoning rivalry. Just five weeks after Alcaraz staged one of the all-time great fightbacks to beat Sinner in a classic French Open final, the pair bring their battle for supremacy to Wimbledon's hallowed Centre Court on Sunday. Alcaraz and Sinner have shared seven of the past eight Grand Slams between them, evenly splitting the six on offer since the start of 2024. The tennis world has been captivated by the emergence of the new rivalry after the storied era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz is the flashy showman who has stolen the hearts of the Centre Court crowd, while world number one Sinner is Djokovic 2.0 — a ruthlessly efficient operator who rarely misses. Two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz will start as the marginal favourite on Sunday but knows he has to bring his best to keep Sinner at bay. The Spanish world number two has won eight of his 12 matches against his Italian rival, including the past five. Their most recent clash was in last month's phenomenal five-and-a-half hour French Open final, when Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to defend his clay-court title. The 22-year-old, who has five majors under his belt, is on a career-best winning run of 24 matches and is unbeaten at the All England Club since 2022. But three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner, playing his first Wimbledon final, will take heart from the fact that he was the last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon, in the fourth round three years ago. The Spaniard, who beat US fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals, does not believe his remarkable comeback in Paris gives him the mental edge. 'I'm pretty sure he's going to take a lot of things from the French Open final,' he said. 'He's going to be better physically, he's going to be better mentally. He's going to be prepared to give 100 per cent.' Both men have shown vulnerabilities during their runs to the final. Alcaraz was taken to five sets in his opener against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini and has dropped sets in three of his other matches. Sinner, 23, was rock solid for three rounds but had an almighty scare – and a huge slice of luck – when his fourth-round opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, retired when leading by two sets. But he swept past US 10th seed Ben Shelton in straight sets and demolished an under-par Djokovic in the semi-finals. Mental edge The Italian top seed played down the lingering impact of his defeat at Roland Garros. 'I think if it was too much in my head, I would not be in the situation to play a final again,' he said. 'I'm very happy to share the court with Carlos once again. It's going to be difficult, I know that. 'But I'm looking forward to it. I always try to put myself in these kind of situations that I really love. Sundays at every tournament are very special.' Alcaraz is attempting to join an elite club of players in the Open era who have won Wimbledon three years in a row — Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Federer and Djokovic. But if there is one man who can stop him it is Sinner, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, who has been impressive since his return in May from a three-month doping ban. The match is too close to call, though seven-time champion Djokovic narrowly favours Alcaraz. 'I think I will give a slight edge to Carlos as a favourite because of the two titles he's won here and the way he's playing and the confidence he has right now,' he said. 'But it's just a slight advantage because Jannik is hitting the ball extremely well. I think it's going to be, again, a very close match-up like they had in Paris.'
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Prince William, Kate and kids watch the men's singles final from the Royal Box at Wimbledon
Prince William, Princess Kate and two of their kids have settled into the Royal Box at Wimbledon for this afternoon's men's singles final. The beaming family waved to fans as they landed in SW19 on Sunday for the showdown match between Italian Jannik Sinner, 23, and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 22. Tipped to be an all-time classic final, Kate and Wills, both 43, are watching on from the Royal Box as the top two players in the world battle it out in front of a packed Centre Court crowd of 15,000, The Sun reports. They have been joined by two of their three children, George, 11, and Charlotte, 10 – for the game. The family stepped into the Royal Box shortly before the start of the hotly-anticipated match, greeting and smiling to other attendees. Thousands of fans rose to their feet to applaud the royals as they took their seats at the front of the Royal Box. Alcaraz will target a third successive Wimbledon title as Sinner aims to win the All England Club crown for the first time in the latest enthralling chapter of their burgeoning rivalry. Just five weeks after Alcaraz staged one of the all-time great fightbacks to beat Sinner in a classic French Open final, the pair bring their battle for supremacy to Wimbledon's hallowed Centre Court on Sunday. Alcaraz and Sinner have shared seven of the past eight Grand Slams between them, evenly splitting the six on offer since the start of 2024. The tennis world has been captivated by the emergence of the new rivalry after the storied era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz is the flashy showman who has stolen the hearts of the Centre Court crowd, while world number one Sinner is Djokovic 2.0 – a ruthlessly efficient operator who rarely misses. Two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz will start as the marginal favourite on Sunday but knows he has to bring his best to keep Sinner at bay. The Spanish world number two has won eight of his 12 matches against his Italian rival, including the past five. Their most recent clash was in last month's phenomenal five-and-a-half hour French Open final, when Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to defend his clay-court title. The 22-year-old, who has five majors under his belt, is on a career-best winning run of 24 matches and is unbeaten at the All England Club since 2022. But three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner, playing his first Wimbledon final, will take heart from the fact that he was the last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon, in the fourth round three years ago. The Spaniard, who beat US fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals, does not believe his remarkable comeback in Paris gives him the mental edge. 'I'm pretty sure he's going to take a lot of things from the French Open final,' he said. 'He's going to be better physically, he's going to be better mentally. He's going to be prepared to give 100 per cent.' Both men have shown vulnerabilities during their runs to the final. Alcaraz was taken to five sets in his opener against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini and has dropped sets in three of his other matches. Sinner, 23, was rock solid for three rounds but had an almighty scare – and a huge slice of luck – when his fourth-round opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, retired when leading by two sets. But he swept past US 10th seed Ben Shelton in straight sets and demolished an under-par Djokovic in the semi-finals.
The Australian
4 hours ago
- The Australian
Alcaraz faces arch-rival Sinner in blockbuster Wimbledon final
Carlos Alcaraz will target a third successive Wimbledon title as Jannik Sinner aims to win the All England Club crown for the first time in the latest enthralling chapter of their burgeoning rivalry. Just five weeks after Alcaraz staged one of the all-time great fightbacks to beat Sinner in a classic French Open final, the pair bring their battle for supremacy to Wimbledon's hallowed Centre Court. Alcaraz and Sinner have shared seven of the past eight Grand Slams between them, evenly splitting the six on offer since the start of 2024. The tennis world has been captivated by the emergence of the new rivalry after the storied era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz is the flashy showman who has stolen the hearts of the Centre Court crowd, while world number one Sinner is Djokovic 2.0 -- a ruthlessly efficient operator who rarely misses. Two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz will start as the marginal favourite but knows he has to bring his best to keep Sinner at bay. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz is the two-time defending Wimbledon champion. Picture: AFP The Spanish world number two has won eight of his 12 matches against his Italian rival, including the past five. Their most recent clash was in last month's phenomenal five-and-a-half hour French Open final, when Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to defend his clay-court title. The 22-year-old, who has five majors under his belt, is on a career-best winning run of 24 matches and is unbeaten at the All England Club since 2022. But three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner, playing his first Wimbledon final, will take heart from the fact that he was the last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon, in the fourth round three years ago. This will be the first time Jannik Sinner has played a Wimbledon final. Picture: AFP The Spaniard, who beat US fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals, does not believe his remarkable comeback in Paris gives him the mental edge. 'I'm pretty sure he's going to take a lot of things from the French Open final,' he said. 'He's going to be better physically, he's going to be better mentally. He's going to be prepared to give 100 percent.' Both men have shown vulnerabilities during their runs to the final. Alcaraz was taken to five sets in his opener against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini and has dropped sets in three of his other matches. Sinner, 23, was rock solid for three rounds but had an almighty scare -- and a huge slice of luck -- when his fourth-round opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, retired when leading by two sets. But he swept past US 10th seed Ben Shelton in straight sets and demolished an under-par Djokovic in the semi-finals. Read related topics: Wimbledon
