The latest season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive captures the emotional moment when former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner informs his wife, Geri Halliwell, of his dismissal from the team. This revelation comes midway through the 2025 Formula 1 season, following a suspected internal power struggle at the Thai-Austrian outfit, one year after a texting scandal rocked the sport.
The Kitchen Table Revelation
Horner, who served as team boss for two decades, departed in July 2025 with an £80 million payout. Cameras filmed the couple in the conservatory of their kitchen at their Oxfordshire mansion. Horner approached Halliwell with a somber “hey darling,” confirming, “All… all done and dusted,” before kissing her forehead and sitting down with a latte.
Halliwell appeared visibly moved as Horner shared details of the meeting. She asked, “How do you feel?” Horner replied thoughtfully, “Um… I never imagined to be in this position. Of course your immediate reaction when you get delivered a s*** sandwich like that is, like, f*** them. I’ve had something taken away from me that wasn’t my choice, that was very precious to me.”
He recalled Halliwell’s premonition after the Austria race: “You thought it was going to happen. We came back from that Austria race and I remember you sat on the bed one night and went ‘Something really bad’s gonna happen.'” Halliwell confirmed she had predicted they would “fire” him.
Adjusting to Life Without the Paddock
Later footage shows the couple watching a race on TV—a stark change for Horner, who held the role since 2005. He lamented, “You haven’t got any of the data here really! Well, normally I would have a whole bunch of noise in my ears. So it’s like you’re blind.”
Halliwell, a familiar face at race weekends including the British Grand Prix, admitted feeling “a bit sad watching this,” her eyes welling with tears. At their Cotswolds home, she lightened the mood by joking that Horner was “eating his feelings.” Their spirits lifted as they played by the swimming pool, with Horner feigning a toss into the water. Halliwell scolded, “You’re such a t**t.”
Context of the 2024 Scandal and Departure
In February 2024, leaked suggestive messages allegedly from Horner stunned the F1 paddock. Halliwell flew to Bahrain in support. A female staff member accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, but internal investigations by King’s Counsel cleared him twice. Halliwell stood by him throughout.
Insights into the Sacking
Horner addressed speculation linking star driver Max Verstappen and his father Jos to his exit. “His father has never been my biggest fan,” Horner noted. “He’s been outspoken about me. But I don’t believe the Verstappens were responsible in any way. I think this was a decision that was made by Oliver Mintzlaff with Helmut Marko advising from the sideline.”
He attributed changes to the business after founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death: “Ultimately things changed within the business, the group, the founder died and after Dietrich’s death I was probably deemed to have too much control.”
Future in Formula 1
Since leaving, Horner has expressed interest in returning, stating last week at the European Motorshow in Dublin that he has “unfinished business in the sport.” Links to teams like Aston Martin have surfaced, but he emphasized, “I am not going to come back for just anything. I am only going to come back for something that can win. I don’t want to go back in the paddock unless I have something to do. I miss the sport, I miss the people, I miss the team that I built.”
