Last week Silverstone’s owners, the BRDC, triggered the break clause in it’s F1 contract, meaning that it will no longer hold the British Grand Prix following the 2019 event.
It seems unlikely that it’ll actually happen though, as Grands Prix at Silverstone are always packed with fans and the track itself is one of the best on the calendar.
Apparently Liberty Media already tried to prevent the situation by offering to run the race itself for five years in return for getting free use of the circuits facilities in the weeks surrounding the event, but was turned down by the BRDC.
Chase Carey confirmed that he wanted F1 to remain at Silverstone, but that it isn’t the only option for a British GP.
“We value Silverstone and we have three years to reach an agreement. Our preference is for Silverstone but the British Grand Prix certainly does not have to be here. We have had expressions of interest from other places in the UK, but I’m not trying to play one against the other.”
There aren’t many other circuits in the UK that would fit the bill for F1 without needing massive amounts of work, so it’d be interesting to know exactly which places have shown interest. Maybe the idea of a London Grand Prix isn’t all that far-fetched after all!
Carey also said he was a bit surprised as to why Silverstone feels it is struggling and needs more support with the Grand Prix.
“I don’t understand some of their claims about their economics, particularly when I look at our business in other places. The people who run a good race seem to have a different picture than they are painting. But I don’t have visibility to how they account, how they assign costs. I know we are not treating them unfairly. We are treating them consistently with others.
This looks like being one of those typical F1 stories which will run and run and eventually end up with Silverstone signing a new contract and continuing to host the race. But if the British GP did move somewhere else, where would you like it to be? Let us know in the comments!
