Horner to fight claims in meeting with lawyer

CHRISTIAN HORNER will today meet a leading English KC at a neutral venue over allegations of inappropriate behaviour at Red Bull.

Mail Sport understands the interrogation is due to take place in London but that has not been confirmed by the world championship-winning team. It will not be conducted at the organisation’s Milton Keynes factory, according to sources. It is thought a decision over his future will be delayed until next week, other than in the unlikely event of Horner, 50, the husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, falling on his sword over accusations of coercive conduct relating to a female employee. He denies the claims and vows to fight on.

The saga evolves as Silverstone has secured its long-term future as the home of the British Grand Prix in a new 10-year deal worth £300million. Mail Sport revealed yesterday that the Northamptonshire circuit has secured the contract with Formula One’s American owners, Liberty Media. Silverstone will pay £30m a year to stage one of the jewels of the sporting summer until 2034. There are no plans to host a separate grand prix in London. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali believes a race down such iconic landmarks as the Mall would offer glamour enough to follow through on the idea but that there are insurmountable obstacles, such as closing down large parts of the capital for days on end. London as a possibility is dead for the foreseeable future. So, it is all guns blazing at Silverstone, where 480,000 spectators flocked last year, cementing a relationship with the lineage of British fans who attended the first post-War race in this country in 1948, watched by King George VI. The old airfield, now a state-of-the-art facility, hosted the first race of the world championship on May 13, 1950, won by Nino Farina for Alfa Romeo. Silverstone’s previous deal ran from 2019 to 2024, and this new agreement represents at least a £5m increase on their previous terms.

For Liberty, securing Silverstone is an antidote to the accusation they are taking the sport away from its heartlands in Europe for eye-watering money in new cash cows such as the Middle East. The fees in Saudi Arabia are £70m a year. Qatar is similar. Keeping one of the sport’s most historic events on the roster augments Domenicali’s stated desire to strike a balance between new, glitzy venues, and places that maintain enduring links to motor racing’s heritage.