MINI: Christian Horner

Formula 1 fans, this one’s for you. 

Ahead of his Australian tour, Christian Horner, ex-Team Principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing, speaks with The Christian O’Connell Show about what fans can expect from A Special Evening with Christian Horner when it arrives in Australia in 2026. From behind-the-scenes Formula 1 stories to insights from championship-winning seasons, the live shows promise an unfiltered look inside one of the sport’s most successful teams.

 

Australian Tour Dates

• Melbourne – Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
  Tuesday, February 24 (two shows)

• Sydney – TikTok Entertainment Centre, ICC
  Thursday, February 26

• Perth – Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
  Monday, March 2

Tickets for A Special Evening with Christian Horner are available via ticketek.com.au, with options ranging from general admission seating to exclusive VIP meet-and-greet experiences.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
iHeart podcasts. You can hear more Gold one I four
point three podcast playlist and listen live on the free
iHeart app Got anything good?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Hey, this is.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
The Christian O'Connell show podcast this month obviously it's the
Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and joining us now someone's
gonna be coming to Australia on a speaking tour. He
is a Formula one legend, Christian Horner. He transformed Team
Red Bull into one of the most successful teams on

(00:42):
the planet and was in charge of Ossie legends like
Daniel Ricardo and Mark Webber. Plus he also happens to
be married to a spice girl, not just any spice girl,
Ginger Spices. Jerry Halliwell. Christian Horner is joining the show
live now. Christian, thank you very much for joining us now.
One of the biggest documentaries in the world. You're a
big part of it. Drive to Survive about F one?

(01:05):
Is that a pain in the backside camera cruise following
you and Jerry Halliwell everywhere?

Speaker 3 (01:11):
To be honest, you sort of there's so many cameras
around it for more and you forget who which one
is which, and these guys become embedded with the teams
or for a weekend and they just record hours and
hours and hours of content and they're looking for all
the juicy bits and the dramatic bits.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
And do you ever watch it back with Jerry when
you're like, my god, they've already cast you. Because sometimes
your cast is this kind of British kind of almost
like a James Bond baddie in it.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah, you know that sometimes you're the hero, sometimes you're
the villain. You know. Jerry often tells me, well, look,
it's like the Kardashians on wheels, so you know, they're
making a TV show and as I say, they love
any drama they can capture.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
And what do you like on race day? Because having
interviewed lots of athletes over the years, a lot of
them are very very superstitious. You have certain things, you
always eat, the same thing, where the same thing. What
is it for you?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
I suppose there weren't as much rituals as they were
superstitions that you know, I'd always you know, shake the
driver's hands before the start of the race from the
right hand side.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Of the car. You know, I had, you know, lucky clothing,
I had you know, lucky socks. I had, you know,
a lucky toilet at each Gorn Prix. I'd nominate one
loop that would be the loo for the weekend, you know,
which is kind of embarrassing if all the others are
free and you're standing in Brazil waiting for this one
particular toilet. So, yeah, you get these I think rituals

(02:41):
that where I stood in the garage to watch the
start of the race, you know, all those types of
things were they were just little rituals that helped you
get in the frame of mind and get in the
zone for the race.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
That's incredible. I'm now worried about you know what happened
if suddenly the lucky socks had been washed, you know
they weren't there. That's the stuff that can ruin your
your preparation kind of you know what.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
That was absolutely a no go. So, you know, the
lucky underwear I had to be packed and I got
qualifying underwear and race day underwear, and as they got
worn out, they sometimes you know, get patched up.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, because you can't buy just brand new ones, they
won't have the same power. Absolutely with all the f
one merchandise. You should bring out your own range of underwear.
You know, qualifiers race day, you could make even more
money that way.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
There you go, you're giving me ideas.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Hey, when you come back to the sport, have you
a range of underwear? Tell me have you done much?
I know you've obviously been a keynote speaking before, but
actually going around the world people paying to come and
see you. Are you excited about are you nervous by it? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (03:49):
I could have everything. To be honest with you, I mean,
I think it's a great moment for me to reflect on,
you know, my time informal one that's covered such a
vast period of time when I came into the sport
with some of the trials and tribulations, the pressures, you know,
and really lifting the lid on some of you know,
those key moments during the last twenty one years and

(04:09):
coming to Australia, I've only ever had a very short
period of time there literally in and out for the
Grand Prix. So to have a little more time without
the pressure of a Grand Prix weekend, they've been the
most amazing fans. Australian fans are truly truly different. They're
so knowledgeable, they're so passionate and of course, being fortunate

(04:30):
to have had a couple of Australian drivers over the
over the years, in Mark Weber and Daniel Ricardo. You know,
it's been great to support that we had, you know,
received over those years.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
And then tell us about in this country. Obviously there's
so much love for Daniel Ricardo and you had a
very you had a very unique relationship with him. Tell
us about that.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
Daniel's just a great guy. He you know, he lights
up a room when he walks in it. He's a
big personality, He's got a big heart, very sensitive guy.
I just clicked with him, and you know, he was
a wonderful driver and unfortunately the car at the time
where he was at his peak, we didn't have the
most competitive car on the grid and I think if

(05:13):
we had, he could have been a world champion. But
a great guy, and yeah, I think the sport missus Daniel.
You know, he was such a you know that smile.
I mean, he's a great singer as well. You know,
I'd always have a party after the Silverstone Race and
his rendition of wagon will was was legendary. So in

(05:35):
fact I made him sing it that a Christmas party wants,
which he never forgave me for but yeah, just a
big personality, a lot of charisma.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
Now tell me this. Watching the Netflix documentary, I said
in wifeh my god, what a job Christian's got. You know,
You've got all that power, all that control, all those decisions.
And then Jerry comes on screen and my wife goes yeah.
And then when he gets home, she's the boss. And
any married guy that says otherwise, I think is a lie?
Is it at home? Everything that you have, all that

(06:05):
power control that's out in the other world, At home,
you're you're just Christian.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
No, that's exactly it.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
You know, at home, I'm just Christian.

Speaker 3 (06:14):
She's just Jerry, and you know her husband and wife
and of course you know 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, you know, something's
not right. And you know, she's the first to tell me, look,
a pad on the back is six inches from a
kick up the ass. So yeah, you know, she's been

(06:39):
phenomenal and at home, yeah, you know, she's definitely the boss.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
And tell me that she must talk about work at home.
Over the years, she must be that's no, no, you
can't be doing that. You want to hire them or
watch out for that person.

Speaker 3 (06:51):
Look, she's fantastic in respect because the person that you
share the most with is your partner. What you take home,
you know, you share. And 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 the
red Bull car you know, debuted last week, and there

(07:12):
was one guy that I really wanted to get. Anyway,
she brought in a cup of coffee and I could
see that he was kind of, you know, surprised that
he was Ginger spy springing in coffee for us. Anyway,
he said, oh, I'm a musician. She said, oh, what
are you doing? He said, I play the guitar. So
she turned up five minutes later with a guitar and said,
play to me. So this guy has come for a

(07:34):
job interview ended up singing Iranian love songs. You know,
Jerry is listening to him sing, and sure enough, he
signed from Mercedes the next day.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
Now, obviously you're going to come back someone like you.
There's no way you just walk away from the sport.
I get the fin in this unfinished business. And when
you come on you're speaking tour, I think the biggest
question you're going to get asked everywhere is that are
you coming back? What can you say at the moment, Christian, Well, look,
I can't.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
Do anything before you know later in the spring. If
I were to comeback, it would have to be for
something that was with a like minded group of people.
I wouldn't come back just to take part. I'd want
to win. I wouldn't want to do it just as
an employee anymore. So I'm not in any rush. I'm
going to take this time to reflect on my career

(08:23):
and spend time with my family and think about what
comes next.

Speaker 1 (08:27):
Brilliant, Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you when you
come to Melbourne on the speaking tour. I think you'll
enjoy it a lot. I think you're a fantastic time
in the country as well, and Christian, well done and
all your very well deserved success as well. I think
sometimes you don't get quite the credit you deserve, but
it's an extraordinary achievement that will be around for a
very long time.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
Well done, that's very kind and yeah, I'm looking forward
to coming down to Melbourne. Sydney in Perth. It's a
great country, great people, and yeah, I'm looking.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
Forward to it all right, thanks for talking to us, Christian.
We'll see you soon.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
Thank you, thank you very much. Indeed, The Christian O'Connell
Show podcast