MD: Brit GP heading back to Silverstone

Tuesday 24th November 2009

A deal for next year's British Grand Prix to remain at Silverstone is imminent, according to Silverstone Holdings managing director Richard Phillips.

The future of the British Grand Prix has been the subject of a long-running saga, with Donington Park having been lined up for the race before being plagued by financial problems.

But Silverstone, which has hosted every British Grand Prix since 1987, now appears set to retain the race next season, with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone having imposed a December 9 deadline for the future of the race to be decided.

Phillips told BBC Radio Northampton: "I don't think there are any real stumbling blocks, we're going through the last details of the deal.

"I'm pretty convinced that it will be run at Silverstone next year."

The Northamptonshire circuit has been warned it must modernise facilities to keep the race long-term and Phillips is confident of a resolution.

He added: "We've been planning for more than a year, we'll finish the track works in March and start on the new pits ready for 2011."

It is also hoped a long-term deal will be agreed.

"We always had the faith that the Grand Prix would return," said Phillips.

"We certainly would like the contract to be for more than 10 years - that's the minimum."

Your Comments

untac93

"Ironic that the person that holds the British GP in his hands is British eh biso9700!!!"

jdiddy

"...this debate is starting to get old. silverstone or donnington...silverstone or donnington..blah-blah-blah. at least you still have an F1 race in your country!! here in the states we have lost our race, and we cant go to our northern neighbor (canada)..because they lost theirs too!! i think if you want more exciting racing, and racing that has overtaking. then you need to plug in a few more street circuits. now i know F1 purists hate street circuits, but the U.S. has some great street circuits...most notible Long Beach, California. and guess what...it already used to host F1!! and a racer by the name of John Watson won the 1983 race from 22nd place on the grid. now tell me that you can do that without some overtaking. city streets arent made for racing, so racers are more prone to mistakes. that should equal more exciting racing for the fans. you race course purists can beat me up over this, but i love to watch the Monaco GP..and i wish there were a few more races like it."

biso9700

"wilbur1969, do you go to watch the racing or look at the pretty surroundings?, personally ive only ever seen one exciting race at Silverstone(87 i think it was), but the atmosphere at the place is always good, the teams and drivers want to be there and it is part of the great history of the sport, now I would have liked to have seen it run at Donnington as the 93 EuroGP there was brilliant(wet yes, but still an amazing race), and I would have gone back next year to see how the modern cars suited its planned new layout, but either way Britain has a right to have at least one GP on the calender, we probably have the biggest fanbase(although im sure the Italians or Germans might argue about that!-)the current and preceding WDC'S are British and the core of F1 is British, but alas its up to the troll to decide who deserves to have one!"

wilbur1969

"Silverstone may a good circuit but the facilities are third rate. The visitors center is the size of a shoe box and the whole place is rundown and tatty. If we want to keep a British GP at Silverstone the BRDC need to update the whole place. In this day and age you need to provide paying visitors quality, not dross. "

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