Red Bull's Christian Horner will not be able to make the most of a recent prize he won, after bidding for a tour of the Mercedes Formula 1 factory . Horner landed himself a tour of the Mercedes facilities in Brackley in the UK, after bidding on the item at the recent Autosport Awards Charity Auction. As the bids rolled in, Horner put in an offer of £4,000 pounds – this was ultimately the winning bid. Proceeds from the auction are going to the Grand Prix Trust, which provides support and advice to F1's trackside and factory-based team personnel. However, Horner will not be permitted to take the tour and meet all the Mercedes personnel, despite winning the prize. This is due to a clause that was written into the prize offer that prevents employees from other teams from being able to take the factory tour. A spokesperson from the Grand Prix Trust has since confirmed to RacingNews365.com that the clause was present on the prize going into the auction, meaning Horner will not be allowed to take the cheeky excursion.
A follow-up to Horner's tour of McLaren
Horner had joked to RacingNews365.com that he intended to take as many key personnel as possibly with him to Brackley for the expedition. "Adrian [Newey, Chief Technical Officer], myself, Pierre Waché [Technical Director] and probably Paul Field, our Director of Production," he smiled, when asked about who he would take along. The trip would have marked the second time Horner gained access to a rival's factory while an acting team boss. In 2008, Horner secured an invitation from David Coulthard, who raced with both McLaren and Red Bull during his career. Horner, accompanied by Newey, headed along to Woking with Coulthard, and was greeted by then-McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh. "I went with Adrian; he obviously knew his way around and everywhere he wanted to go we weren't allowed!" Horner laughed. "I think we saw the marketing and electronics departments, and had a very nice lunch, and that was about it!"
Most read
