Horner wants return of European Grand Prix amid talks of a London Race
F1 News
- Bevan Youl
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner would like a return of the European Grand Prix after further talks of a race in London.
Talks continue for a race to happen around the streets of London, in particular in the east section of the city around the docklands to avoid a serious amount of disruption.
Horner said (quoted by Autosport): "The idea of a London Grand Prix is interesting.
"I think it's difficult to see happening on an annual basis.
“It would be fantastic to have a one-off race, or a European race in the calendar that rotated each year.
"I think as long as it didn't take away the event from Silverstone, seeing a Formula 1 car running around the streets of London would be impressive."
Horner said that if the race were to happen in London than it would have to go past Buckingham Palace.
"You would need to see [Admiral Horatio] Nelson's Column and go past Buckingham Palace pretty much,” he added.
"A London Grand Prix only works if it's proper London.
"If it's in Dagenham, it doesn't quite count."
After it was confirmed that Silverstone would be on the Formula 1 calendar until 2024, part of the contract was to protect the circuit against another Grand Prix in England as it could be seen as a commercial threat.
But Horner reckons that F1 would take a different approach, similar to the return of Zandvoort.
"This is where the promoter has a different outlook than previously," he said.
"Rather than looking for a massive fee, if the event needed investment from the promoter to get up and running [it may be valid] because you could see potential commercial returns on having a London race.
"A big pot of money wasn't put on the table for Zandvoort.
"A deal was crafted out a bit and that's come off the back of a circuit that's not up to the standards of F1.
"It's based on the national support and backing there is for their lead F1 driver [Red Bull's Max Verstappen."