Christian Horner has explained how his celebrity wife Geri Halliwell helped him overcome the hate that came with his rise in fame thanks to Formula 1 drama Drive to Survive.
Since 2015 Horner has been married to former Spice Girl Halliwell, who joined the world-famous pop band in 1994 at the age of 22, meaning she had fame from early on in her life.
For Horner it came much later and largely due to Drive to Survive launching on Netflix in 2019, which consequently caused F1’s popularity to spike and open it up to a new audience.
So more individuals became aware of the former Red Bull boss, who played into the ‘pantomime villain’ role - particularly during his heated rivalry with Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff.
Both individuals spent a decade vying for the F1 title and due to the increased spotlight on them, particularly Horner, the hate and criticism naturally increased.
“The way I worked with the media in motorsport was that we co-existed and you needed access to the drivers and the team and both had a role to fulfil,” Horner told Autosport.
Watch: Christian Horner on Toto, Abu Dhabi 2021 and Life After Red Bull.
“Both needed each other. With the advent of Drive to Survive, suddenly team principals [were] becoming personalities, Geri and her experience, you have to remember that she was part of the biggest girl band of all time.
“So the fame that she saw at a very young age was astronomical in a time before the internet and when papers could write very nasty things.
“She became very hardened to it and to the point that she says, ‘I don't look at it’. She very rarely will read an article and so for me, she was incredibly good.
“As long as you're happy in yourself, ignore what…everybody's going to have an opinion and somebody might like, somebody might not like, but just be true to yourself.
“I never forget she told me, ‘What you have to remember is a pat on the back is six inches from a kick up the arse!
“So they'll love you one minute, you'll get shit the next minute. So she has been a force and has an ability and she only ever sees the good in people.”
Christian Horner on stage at F1 75 Live
Photo by: Getty Images
One particular moment came during F1 75 Live, which was a season launch event held at the O2 London in 2025, where teams unveiled their new looks for the year ahead.
But when Horner entered the stage to Rolling Stones hit Start Me Up, the song was drowned out by boos from the crowd in a clearly uncomfortable moment for the Briton.
“What are your choices? You either shrink into a shell and walk off the stage or you front it out,” added Horner, who was removed from his position five months later.
“I've never been one to shy away and everybody is entitled to have their opinion. You can't be everybody's cup of tea, everybody's darling.
“Obviously we didn't get the friendliest of reactions, but then you've got people asking for selfies and desperate to get pictures with you.
“So it's kind of a contrast. It was almost quite confusing, ‘Well, if you don't like me, why are you asking for a picture?’
“When I sat back down it was actually Geri that said to me, ‘just remember they only boo when they care, if they don't care they don't say anything’. So the worst reaction you can have is nothing!”
Christian Horner book cover
Photo by: Uncredited