As talks to secure the future of the British Grand Prix begins, Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes a race in London remains a goal for Liberty Media.
Last year, the owners of Silverstone, the BRDC, activated a release clause in the 18-year contract they signed with Bernie Ecclestone in 2009, meaning now only two more years on that deal remain.
The reason was purely financial, with chairman John Grant writing a letter this week stating that the goal of new negotiations was to find an arrangement that allowed the circuit to make a profit on a good year and still manage if attendances dropped.
Using a line from the ongoing Brexit talks though, he said “no deal was better than a bad deal” and that “as things stand, 2019 could be the last British GP at Silverstone – or indeed anywhere”.
Horner does see a successful conclusion as the most likely one, however.
“Silverstone is the home of British motorsport and it is a great track,” he was quoted by F1i.com.
“It appears as though the owners and Liberty are working closely together and talking more positively about engagement with the fans and what they can do to put on a better show.
“There is a desire within Liberty to see a street race in London and in an ideal world we would be fortunate enough to have both – retain the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and have a street race in London,” he added.
“From a personal point of view, Silverstone is the national home for the British Grand Prix.”
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If a London race wasn’t sustainable year-on-year though, the Red Bull chief did have another idea that would just as exciting for F1.
“As we are seeing with their discussions with Miami, they are looking at different types of model for key markets,” he said.
“Why not have a race in London one year, a race in Paris one year, and you could come up with great venues.
“Taking F1 to the people has proved to be extremely popular. Some of the best races that we have on the calendar are street races.
“A European Grand Prix, something like that, if the economics could work for Liberty, it would be fantastic.”
