Christian Horner joins wife Geri to cheer on Watford against Coventry – while his old team Red Bull gear up for crucial Mexico Grand Prix
Christian Horner joins wife Geri for Saturday’s Watford Championship clash against Coventry as former F1 team Red Bull races in Mexico ahead of the crucial Grand Prix in the title race.
Horner, 51, was handed a massive £80m prize by Red Bull after he was brutally sacked from his long-term role as team boss in July.
No longer spending his weekends at Grand Prix events around the world, the former F1 chief has been able to join his wife Geri, former Spice Girls star and avid Watford fan, in football.
Despite being keen to return to F1, Horner has enjoyed his time away from the grid over the past few months and was spotted at an Oasis gig at Wembley before embarking on a road trip with Geri in the Scottish Highlands.
His appearance at Coventry, who are top of the Championship after a great start to the season under Frank Lampard, was certainly not a good luck charm for Watford as Geri fell two goals behind within seven minutes.
The Sky Blues took a 3-0 lead at half time as Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jamie Allen and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto got on the scoreboard before Hornets star James Abankwah received a red card before the break.
Christian Horner joined wife Geri at the Watford Championship clash in Coventry on Saturday.
Horner, 51, received a whopping £80million in compensation from Red Bull after he was brutally sacked in July.
Spice Girls icon Geri is a huge Watford fan and watched her team concede three goals in the first half
But before kick-off the famous couple appeared to be in high spirits, smiling together and waving to the crowd as they recognized them.
As Watford and Coventry clashed, Horner’s former F1 team Red Bull were preparing for a key race weekend in the title race against Max Verstappen’s McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Verstappen, who has masterfully closed the gap with Piastri and Norris since Horner’s departure, opened the Drivers’ Championship points table wide with victory at the United States Grand Prix in Austin last weekend.
With Piastri on 346 points, Norris on 332 points and Verstappen on 306 points, the Mexican Grand Prix represents a crucial moment in the season that leaves little room for error.
Verstappen, 28, has established himself as one of the sport’s biggest talents, winning four consecutive world championships under Horner at Red Bull between 2021 and 2024.
The Horners also went to watch Watford play West Midlands club at the Coventry Building Society Arena in January, six months before Christian was sent off by Red Bull.
The former Red Bull chief is keenly pursuing a return to the paddock after opting to take less than the £110 million he could have been paid.
As Daily Mail Sport’s Jonathan McEvoy explains, £110 million would have prevented Horner from taking another job in the sport for years, so he opted to take the smaller but still lucrative sum of £80 million.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen prepare for a big weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix
Verstappen closed the gap on Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, paving the way for the F1 championship race
Frank Lampard’s Coventry sit top of the Championship standings, while Watford sit 12th
Haas, Alpine, Ferrari and Aston Martin have links to Horner, and Aston Martin has brought in former Red Bull ally Adrian Newey after working together for 19 years.
Haas’ Ayao Komatsu has revealed he has made an offer to the American team for a role just months after Horner left Red Bull.
“Yes, it is true that he is approaching us,” Komatsu said ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix earlier this month. ‘Then one of our men made an exploratory speech.
‘That’s it. Nothing went any further. Finished.”
He continued: ‘I have nothing more to say. Like I said, write whatever you want. I’m not fueling this story.’
