Red Bull chief Christian Horner pays £4k for '20-person' Mercedes factory tour

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has reignited the duel with Mercedes as he prepares to go under enemy lines at their F1 factory as the two rivals gear up for the new season.

In 2021, relations between the pair were tempestuous as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton became embroiled in an epic battle for the title, with the Dutchman eventually prevailing in controversial circumstances at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Silver Arrows however, did claim an eighth straight Constructors' title, but the dominance of both teams could be under threat in 2022 with brand new technical regulations being introduced into the sport.

Red Bull have already unveiled their newly adapted vehicles, with Mercedes set to do the same on February 18, five days before pre-season testing gets underway in Barcelona.

And now Horner, 48, has ensured he can get a behind the scenes look at how Toto Wolff and co are working after launching a successful £4,000 bid for a tour of the Mercedes facilities at the Autosport Awards Charity Auction on Sunday.

All proceeds from the bid went to the Grand Prix Trust, which provides help and advice to F1 personnel, and Horner did emphasise that his money was going to 'a great cause.'

However, he couldn't resist winding up his rivals, joking he was hopeful of taking 'about 20' of his Red Bull colleagues on the tour.

"Adrian [Newey, Chief Technical Officer], myself, Pierre Wache [Technical Director] and probably Paul Field, our Director of Production," he joked to RacingNews365.

"It'll be interesting to go and see how they're spending their budget cap."

But The Sun have since reported that Horner could be stopped from enjoying his prize because of some T&Cs - with Mercedes not yet deciding