Christian Horner reveals wife Geri Halliwell helped build his F1 career years before they even met as he hints at a return to motorsport after his Red Bull sacking

She stood defiantly by him as he weathered a series of scandals which saw him sacked from the role he had held for two decades.And now Christian Horner has revealed that it was wife Geri who helped him build his Formula 1 career in the first place, years before they even met.The former team principal for Red Bull, 52, who hinted that he could return to the sport despite his dramatic departure in 2025, has credited the former Spice Girl, 54, for ‘indirectly’ financing his early days as a driver for the motorsport.‘Geri indirectly financed my early career because when I had that Formula 3000 team I had a sponsor that made cakes and cream, you know, party cakes, celebration cakes for Asda and Sainsbury's, and so on,’ said Horner.‘And they had two cakes that they had licences for - they had Dennis the Menace - and they'd signed a deal with this new young girl band called the Spice Girls.’Speaking at an event to promote his new book, Horner said he was told to put Dennis the Menace on the side of his car as that was expected to be the bigger seller. Christian Horner has revealed that it was wife Geri who helped him build his Formula 1 career in the first place, years before they even met The couple first met in 2009 at the Monaco Grand Prix and married at St Mary's church in Woburn, Bedfordshire in 2015 (pictured in 2014)‘And so I put Dennis the Menace on the side of my former 3000 car and I went back halfway through the year and he said, “well, you know, sales have been a bit average on Dennis the Menace” and I think, oh s***.‘But he said the Spice Girl cake has gone bananas, and so we'll be able to pay you a bit more.’Horner, who first met Mrs Horner, at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2009, added: ‘Thankfully I didn't have to put the Spice Girls on the side of the car, but that would have been a strange story. Indirectly, she financed my early career.’The couple share a young son Monty, nine, while Mrs Horner has a 20-year-old daughter with ex Sacha Gervasi. Horner also has daughter Olivia, 13, from his relationship with ex-wife Beverley Allen.Horner was speaking at the Cambridge Theatre in London on Monday where he discussed his career in length in conjunction with his new memoir Drive, as his wife of 11 years proudly and intently watched on from the audience.He was dismissed as Red Bull's team principal and chief executive in July 2025, bringing an abrupt end to a career in which he had overseen 14 world championship titles.It came after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were made against him by a female colleague in 2024.He denied any wrongdoing and the claims were dismissed following two independent investigations.Mrs Horner, who he has praised for her support throughout the ordeal, publicly stood by him.During a Q&A with hundreds of F1 fans, Horner also addressed his future with motorsport, saying it was like a ‘magnet that keeps trying to pull me back in’.He said: ‘I've had kind of 14 months out of the business now and when I first came out, you know, it happened in quite an abrupt manner, but it gave me the time to spend with my family. At the end of the day, it's your family that means the most to you, and it came at a time for me to be present.‘I did 404 races in a row. I never missed a single Grand Prix. I missed the birth of my daughter, I missed so many family occasions due to that, so I've appreciated having that time to reflect and do things like this, but I still feel...I'm 52 years of age, I had a great run and I loved my time.‘I would only want to go back for a project with people that wanted to win, that I could have participation in that, because life is too short and I think that for me the sacrifices that are involved, and what I know is involved to achieve success at this level, you have to give it everything. The couple share son Monty, nine, while Mrs Horner has a 20-year-old daughter with ex Sacha Gervasi. Horner also has daughter Olivia, 13, from his relationship with ex-wife Beverley Allen (pictured in 2017) He was dismissed as Red Bull's team principal and chief executive in July 2025, bringing an abrupt end to a career in which he had overseen 14 world championship titles‘I feel that Formula One is almost like a magnet that keeps trying to pull me back in and suddenly I'm going to Ferrari or I'm going to Aston or Haas.‘I think I could go to every single team other than Mercedes.’Earlier this month it was revealed Horner received a substantial payout of £33.5million.The documents, filled at Companies House and seen by the Daily Mail, are disclosed in the small print of Red Bull Racing's latest accounts for last year and are reported as 'compensation for loss of office'.His total takings, which include the £4.4million in salary paid ahead of his departure, come in at £38million.