Sir Ben Ainslie has accused Sir Jim Ratcliffe of threatening to 'burn his house down' if he did not hand over his team's assets and intellectual property, according to High Court documents. The alleged threat was made by Ineos Sport executives Jean-Claude Blanc and Rob Nevin in Ainslie's Barcelona office in October 2024, hours before a crucial America's Cup race.
The filings state that Nevin told Ainslie: 'We have a phrase at Ineos: “scorched earth”. It means that if you don’t give Jim what he wants, he will burn your house down.' Ainslie claims the threat was intended to distract him from his preparation for the America's Cup, which Britain ultimately lost.
The dispute centres on ownership of a £180 million racing yacht built jointly by Ineos and Ainslie's Athena Racing team. Ineos, which provided approximately £174 million in funding, filed a claim in April seeking transfer of the assets, alleging breach of contract. Ainslie's defence counters that Ineos applied 'undue commercial pressure' and engaged in 'hostile negotiating tactics'.
Additional allegations include 'false imprisonment' after Ainslie and colleagues were reportedly locked inside their Northamptonshire offices following the split, and that Ineos breached a non-compete clause by announcing plans to challenge for the 38th America's Cup with Mercedes F1. Ainslie's defence also claims Ineos denied access to a simulator at their factory.
The legal battle marks a dramatic fallout between the former allies, with Ainslie's filing stating that 'the Claimant does not come to equity with clean hands'. The case continues in the High Court.
