Horner prepared for F1 Concorde Agreement 'jousting'

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has insisted he is ready to 'joust' with F1 owner Liberty Media during discussions over a new Concorde Agreement.

The current agreement runs through to the end of 2025 having come into effect in 2021, with all teams signed up to various clauses to safeguard F1's future.

But Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali have both underlined their wishes to quickly complete negotiations with the current grid of teams and complete the Concorde Agreement process ahead of time ready for 2026 rather than waiting until the 11th hour akin to previous cases.

This would allow the sport to capitalise on its recent popularity growth, with record attendance being experienced across the calendar.

Longevity is in the best interest

The sport's value will dictate the majority of the discussions between parties and responding to the calls for a swift agreement, Horner told media, including RacingNews365.com: "Formula 1 is in fantastic health at the moment, you can see Formula 1 is flying and has never been in a stronger position.

"Liberty has done a great job with the sport. We're seeing new markets, new growth, new fans, and a new demographic of fans.

"There's always going to be that debate between the teams and the Commercial Rights Holder of who should have the more value, and I look forward to the jousting that will no doubt take place behind doors.

"But longevity is in the best interest of everybody, to have a settled sport that has a clear direction for the future, of what its goals and objectives are, together with the Technical Regulations and Sporting Regulations and Financial Regulations that we want to develop for the future, to just continue to make the sport better and more appealing and more inclusive, over the coming years."