In a tragic turn, Christian Horner was sacked as Red Bull team boss just days after the death of his first wife following a lengthy cancer battle.

Beverly Allen, 58, who shared an 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, with Horner, passed away last Monday after a two-year battle with eye cancer.

The couple had been together for 14 years before Horner married Spice Girl Geri Halliwell in 2015.

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“Beverley was a lovely woman and it is so cruel what has happened to her,” one of Allen’s friends told The Daily Mail.

“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 Horner’s rise to Formula 1 prominence in the early and mid-2000s, with Allen by his side during his ascent to the top of the sport.

But just days after her death, Horner was dramatically ousted from his role as Red Bull team principal, despite having led the team to multiple Constructors’ Championships.

His abrupt and unceremonious dismissal follows a recent sexting scandal involving alleged explicit messages sent to a female employee, claims Horner has consistently denied throughout the controversy.

Several of Horner’s longtime allies were also removed in a sweeping shake-up that stunned the Formula 1 world.

The clear-out, ordered by the Formula One team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, signalled a definitive end to Horner’s era.

The 51-year-old delivered an emotional farewell speech to hundreds of employees at the team’s Milton Keynes headquarters.

Many of those let go had been personally chosen by Horner, connections that one insider described as a “double-edged sword.”

Horner was swiftly replaced by 48-year-old Frenchman Laurent Mekies, who has been leading Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls, since the beginning of 2024.

While Horner technically remains employed by the company, on a reported $18 million-a-year salary, he has effectively been placed on indefinite gardening leave.