Exclusive: Donington Out, Ecclestone Makes New Offer to Silverstone
The company responsible for the rehabilitation of Donington Park, in order to meet the standards required by Formula One, had until this Monday 12 PM GMT (1 PM in France) to prove their financial solidity. This deadline has now passed, and it is now certain that the organizers will not be able to complete the […]
The company responsible for the rehabilitation of Donington Park, in order to meet the standards required by Formula One, had until this Monday 12 PM GMT (1 PM in France) to prove their financial solidity. This deadline has now passed, and it is now certain that the organizers will not be able to complete the work in time to host the 2010 edition of the British Grand Prix.
The organizers of Donington Park revealed last Friday that they were missing 135 million pounds (about 147 million euros) to finance the completion of the circuit’s reconstruction.
As a result, Bernie Ecclestone sent a message to Silverstone: The British Grand Prix could be yours on Tuesday.
Bernie Ecclestone is trying to allay the fears of British fans about losing the country’s biggest motorsport event. The major financer revealed having proposed a contract to Silverstone. However, the British Racing Drivers Club, owner of the Silverstone circuit, deemed that this contract was not commercially viable. Bernie Ecclestone had stated he did not want to give special treatment to Silverstone, but the BRDC remained inflexible.
Bernie Ecclestone therefore made them an offer of 11 million pounds (about 12 million euros), making it his lowest fee in the European zone. But the Northamptonshire circuit, which reported a profit of only 662,000 pounds this year (about 720,000 euros), cannot afford to pay since the sport’s owners, the FOM, take all the revenue except for seat sales. The standoff continues… A response is likely this Tuesday…
Details: At 7 p.m. (French time) this Monday, the Donington organizers remained silent. It is easy to imagine that if Donington Park were ready to host the British Grand Prix, the owners would have rushed to announce it. This, combined with Bernie Ecclestone’s discounted offer to Silverstone, makes us think with certainty that Donington is definitely out. It remains to be seen if the BRDC and Bernie Ecclestone’s FOM will reach an agreement to organize the GP at Silverstone.
