Christian Horner makes Silverstone ‘in the ****’ joke after Norris v Verstappen fight

Having set the stage for an intriguing British GP, Christian Horner says Silverstone is “in the sh**” if it cannot sell out.

After several close races with Lando Norris winning in Miami before thrice finishing runner-up to Max Verstappen, the on-track contest between the two ignited in Austria.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen rivalry increases Silverstone ticket sales

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

Whereas Norris couldn’t quite challenge Verstappen in previous race weekends, they went wheel-to-wheel at the Red Bull Ring in Saturday’s sprint and again in the Grand Prix.

Norris lost out in the sprint, passing the Red Bull driver at Turn 3 only to lose the lead at the very next corner, but learning a few lessons mounted a concerted effort on Sunday.

It, however, came to nought when Verstappen closed the door on Norris as he tried to pass around the outside of Turn 3 on lap 64. The two made contact and both cars suffered rear-wheel punctures.

Norris, who retired from the grand prix, declared he’d lose a bit of “respect” for Verstappen if the Dutchman didn’t hold up his hand and admit blame. Verstappen, however, seems unlikely to do that given his sarcastic response to his penalty for causing the collision.

It’s added spice to what was already shaping up to be a better season than last year, and Horner reckons Silverstone will be the first venue to benefit from it.

“I think the British Grand Prix is set to be a continuation of the theme that we’ve seen in the last few races. If they can’t sell tickets now, then they’re probably in the sh**,” Horner told the media including PlanetF1.com.

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And it seems it’s already having an impact with British Grand Prix chief executive Stuart Pringle revealing the remaining tickets are selling fast.

“I’m delighted to say that the performance by the Brits in the last few weeks has really made a huge difference,” he told Sky F1 after Austria. “There are still a few tickets left but it’s in the hundreds rather than thousands.

“It will be a sell-out by weekend, of that I’m completely certain. And that’s what competition and a bit of spice in the sport brings.

“We’ve got incredibly exciting racing in the last few races and people have really switched back onto it. It’s perfect timing.”

Pringle’s comment comes on the back of Lewis Hamilton calling out Silverstone over rising ticket prices with four-day grandstand tickets selling at £600 while general admission ticket are slightly north of £400.

“We have to watch ticket prices,” he said last month. “I think they’re continuing to rise, and the cost of living nowadays, I think it’s too high.

“I’m just thinking from the perspective of a fan that would come with a family. It’s hugely expensive, so I think it’s looking into ways where you can make better accessibility for people.”

His Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff hopes Silverstone can achieve a sell-out as it has in previous seasons.

“I think it’s a shame if it didn’t sell out,” the Austrian told PlanetF1.com and other media. “We need to look at what can be done better from the promoter’s side, I think the racing is exciting.

“We might be coming up with a good show and in a way, that’s not only a home race for the team, it’s a home race for myself. I’m living there a lot of the time, so I would very much hope that we have the same buzz around the sport that we had all these years.”

This year’s championship has already seen two British race winners with Norris P1 in Miami while George Russell secured his second career win in Austria.

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