Silverstone & British Grand Prix - Confusing!

General General Lotus Talk
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Copied from Pistonheads bbs

[color:“blue”]SILVERSTONE F1 TERMINATED! Tuesday 20th April



Grand Prix contract binned prematurely

In a statement just issued by Silverstone, it’s been revealed that it has terminated its contract with Formula One!

The Interpublic Group of Companies which owns Silverstone Motorsport Ltd announced earlier today a deal with Formula One Administration Limited for the early termination of its British Grand Prix contract from 2005 onwards.

Its lease of Silverstone circuit from the British Racing Drivers� Club, the landowner, remains in place. There is no change to the status of Silverstone Motorsport Ltd.

Silverstone Motorsport Ltd today confirmed that the 2004 Foster�s British Grand Prix is unaffected and that the company remains fully focused on preparations for the event, to be held 9th-11th July.

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Copied from Autosport site

[color:“red”]British GP fate in Bernie’s hands
Ball back in Ecclestone’s court after Interpublic ends contract


The BRDC is keen to ensure the British GP’s future


The future of the British Grand Prix is once again in question following the decision of Interpublic to terminate its contract as the event’s promoter, handing the reigns back to Formula One Administration and the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecclestone has often questioned Silverstone’s suitability as a grand prix venue, despite recent investments in its infrastructure and access road system.

In January, he was quoted in an interview with Gazetta dello Sport as saying: “Silverstone is like an old house that claims to only need a few repairs. Actually it needs major reconstruction but the current owners have no intention of financing it. I don’t see a future for it.”

Silverstone is owned by the British Racing Drivers Club, which will continue to lease the venue to Interpublic until 2007. Who will promote the event from 2005 will be in the hands of FOA.

We look forward to hearing Mr Ecclestone’s plans
BRDC board

In the wake of Interpublic’s announcement, a BRDC board statement read: “In the expectation that Mr Ecclestone wishes to retain the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, we welcome the acquisition of the rights to the event by Formula One Administration. We look forward to hearing Mr Ecclestone’s plans for the future success and stability of the British Grand Prix.”

It added: “The BRDC believes it is of paramount importance to the sport and the industry in the UK that we retain the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. We are continuing discussions with our partners, including FOA, the Interpublic Group and the British Government, and remain committed to playing our part in retaining the grand prix.”

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Very confusing , Silverstone has its faults, but if bland, challengeless Bahrain is the way forward then F1 is going to be the loser…

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Agreed Simon, Formula One is now a complete shambles from a spectating point of view IMHO.

The grandees controlling the sport have a completely different agenda to the punters. For them it’s all about making more and more money. For the paying public, it’s about spectacle and drama - two commodities F1 woefully lacks.

I am surprised at the resilience of many F1 fans in the face of this ultra-commercialism. For me, the sport is probably permanently tarnished by the complete sanitisation of the circuits these cars race on.

Emphatically, it isn’t Shumacher’s domination or the cars that are boring. It’s the dull, dull, dull car parks they race on. At least we have Spa back this year, so I will watch one race in its entirety.

Now to Silverstone. It still has some character and Bernie seems determined to turn it into yet another palatial circuit with a charisma by-pass.

I think British fans should be very concerned by this development. It would not surprise me at all to see Silverstone disappear from the calendar very soon, in favour of some nation where smoking is still not a taboo advertising prospect.

Motors TV are currently running a Motors Legend series on early 1970’s F1, before the marketing men arrived. I recommend it to anyone as thoroughly disillusioned with F1 as I have become.

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HM you could get me on a roll of the good ol’ days here Never missed a Brit GP between 70 and 91 - since then they’ve moved the crowd back and let the corporate vultures in, looked elsewhere for my motorsport entertainment.

At risk of sounding like an old farty (which I am ). life in F1 never was never better than in 73 (or was it 75??) when we helped Lotus mechies change Jackie Ickx’s motor in Lotus 72 at Race Of Champs at Brands and JI gave us a fiver each… - happy days - and he won thanks to us

Yep those Motors TV legends progs are compulsive viewing

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This mob have got too much to lose, I think they’re just playing games. If there’s no GP and trackdays are vastly over priced there then they’re not going to get any money, I think they’re trying to get their money out now. Although they’re brave to play games with Bernie.

The vast majority of the F1 expertise is in the UK and I can’t see them not wanting a race of their own.

Also, I thought most of the drivers claimed Bahrain was technically challenging? I agree with you though that I’m glad Spa is back!

Ian

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Also, I thought most of the drivers claimed Bahrain was technically challenging?

Given the rubbish they normally race on that has to be a relative statement

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Copied from today’s Daily Telegraph:

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Ecclestone ready to call time on Silverstone
By Kevin Garside
(Filed: 22/04/2004)



Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone has reissued his threat to axe the British Grand Prix next year unless Silverstone undergoes a radical revamp.



The warning is not new, just more potent, after Ecclestone acquired the promotional rights to the grand prix from American company Interpublic in a multi-million-pound deal.

The move has cleared the way for Ecclestone to drop the outmoded British venue, owned by the British Racing Drivers Club, from the calendar in 2005 to accommodate the clutch of new countries clamouring to host races.

Bahrain and Shanghai have been added to the schedule this year, with Istanbul due to debut in 2005. Silverstone is the only venue in the UK capable of hosting a grand prix, but this year will be the last if Ecclestone’s warning is not headed.

Ecclestone said: "I would welcome a new promoter coming forward and would be delighted if the British Grand Prix were to go ahead at Silverstone. It is the only feasible circuit in this country, but it has to come up to scratch.

"We saw at the last race in Bahrain what facilities should be like. The standard has been raised by these new venues and Silverstone has to fall in line. The BRDC have got a lot of land there and are still receiving rent from Interpublic.

“On the back of that, they can raise the necessary cash to invest in the circuit. I have put a chunk of my own money in it and all I have seen for it is new car parks. They are very nice but we need a new pit-and-paddock complex, too. Unless the BRDC do this, there will not be a grand prix in the UK in 2005.”

The message is certain to send a shiver through the UK motor sport industry. But Ecclestone has no sentimental attachment to Silverstone. His F1 empire is expanding globally, with governments prepared to pay plenty to get on board.

About �20 million has been spent improving the road networks and car parks around the Northamptonshire circuit but an equally large sum is required to complete the revamp proposed three years ago.

Other improvements were due to begin last year but were shelved as a result of a financial crisis that engulfed Interpublic’s parent company in America.

Interpublic will continue to lease Silverstone, from the BRDC until 2007.


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Cheers Pesky, I was just tyring to rudely read that over somebody’s shoulder on the train!

Well I was right about Interpublic cashing and I believe Bernie’s not messing about.

Ian

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I believe Bernie’s not messing about

You can be sure he isn’t messing about.

Quite frankly if so many people’s jobs didn’t depend on it, I’d say good riddance to F1 anyway.

Unfortunately, the whole UK motorsport industry cascades from this Grand Prix and I suspect the departure of the race would spell the beginning of the end of this country as the epicenter of the industry.

Even more unfortunately, Bernie’s idea of what constitutes a good circuit centres around the prawn sandwich aspects and NOT the spectacle of the race, so he’s hardly the best bloke to judge a track - unfortunately he pretty well owns the sport - which is, of course, the most unhealthy aspect of all.

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He’s not immortal, though…

People have been known to get food poisoning from Prawns!!

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He’s not immortal, though…

I fear his legacy will be…