F1 WAG Geri Halliwell helped Christian Horner to sign Mercedes star

Christian Horner

F1 WAG Geri Halliwell helped Christian Horner to sign Mercedes star

The former 'Spice Girl' was the key factor in a major Red Bull signing

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Friday 6 February 2026 08:15 Updated: 11:20

If Red Bull’s new power unit dominates F1 in 2026, then Geri Halliwell should take at least some of the credit.

In a few short years the Milton Keynes team - partnering with Ford - have gone from an empty shed to a massive operation producing their own engines to start a new era of sweeping regulation change in the sport.

Former Team Principal Christian Horner was the man who headed up the project in its infancy, and took it almost to completion before his shock axing from the team in the summer of 2025.

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Horner and Red Bull hired several hundred people to staff the massive undertaking, plenty of them from bitter rivals Mercedes.

And now, in a story which is likely to make Toto Wolff cry, Horner has revealed how one of those signings went down. With the key ingredient being his ‘Spice Girl’ wife Geri.

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'Ginger Spice', a guitar and Iranian love songs

He told the Christian O’Connell Show: “I remember during some of the COVID period, I was interviewing people for the new engine project that’s running in the back of the Red Bull car that debuted last week.

“There was one guy that I really wanted to get, anyway she [Geri] brought in a cup of coffee. I could see that he was surprised that here was ‘Ginger Spice’, bringing in cups of coffee for us.

“Anyway he said ‘I’m a musician’ and she said ‘what do you do?’ and he said ‘I play the guitar’. So she turned up five minutes later with a guitar and said ‘play to me’.

“So this guy, who has come for a job interview, ended up signing Iranian love songs - Geri is listening to him sing - and sure enough, he signed from Mercedes the next day.”

The story provided a terrific insight to the relationship Horner and Halliwell have, and the 52-year-old former Red Bull supremo spoke in depth about the dynamic at home.

At home with the Horners

“At home I’m just Christian, she’s just Geri. We’re husband and wife and of course she’s always right. We have a great relationship - she’s been my biggest supporter.

“But she’ll also call you out if she thinks something’s not right. She’s the first tell me: ‘look, a pat on the back is six inches from a kick up the arse’.

“She’s been phenomenal. At home she’s definitely the boss.”

Horner also said Geri was a great sounding board and help during his time at Red Bull, revealing: “She’s fantastic in that respect. The person you share the most with is your partner - what you take home, you share.”

F1 return for former Red Bull chief?

Horner is expected to return to F1 in the near future, with several teams being linked. But he has been at pains to point out that the opportunity has to be right. It appears any return will not be as a Team Principal - but likely a bigger role with a stake in the operation.

Before that, Christian will be in Australia ahead of the season-opening 2026 Grand Prix, as he embarks on a series of speaking engagements in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

F1 Red Bull Christian Horner Geri Halliwell