Whitmarsh: The British GP would be a huge loss
McLaren’s director, Martin Whitmarsh, claims that Formula One would suffer enormous damage if it were to lose its British round next season. Amid ongoing uncertainty about the future of the race, with no official news from Donington Park on the status of its plans for next year, the current concern is whether the British Grand […]
McLaren’s director, Martin Whitmarsh, claims that Formula One would suffer enormous damage if it were to lose its British round next season.
Amid ongoing uncertainty about the future of the race, with no official news from Donington Park on the status of its plans for next year, the current concern is whether the British Grand Prix will indeed take place in 2010.
The situation is far from clearing up according to a report in the *Daily Express*. It suggests this Wednesday that the tenant of Donington Park, Simon Gillett, has paid money to Bernie Ecclestone. However, there is no specific information on whether it was done before the deadline. Furthermore, Simon Gillett has sent only 12 million pounds to Bernie Ecclestone out of the 135 million required.
Furthermore, the latest news from Silverstone indicates a dispute over the contract terms between the circuit owners and Bernie Ecclestone.
According to Autosport.com, Silverstone’s managing director Richard Phillips will be present this weekend in Abu Dhabi to try to make progress on an agreement with Ecclestone to secure the future of the British GP. However, until this deal is finalized, big question marks remain over the event, leaving Whitmarsh very concerned.
“It’s not just McLaren, but everyone in F1 understands the importance of the British Grand Prix,” said Whitmarsh. “You can’t say [of the races] that each one is absolutely vital, but losing the British GP would be massively detrimental to the sport. You can see it in the massive fan support. It’s different from other places. You just have to walk through the campsites and the area around the circuit to see how passionate the fans are. It would be a huge regret to lose this Grand Prix.”
Damon Hill stated about the status of negotiations and a new contract: « The BRDC [which owns Silverstone] wants to sign a contract that makes sense and cannot sign a contract that could place them in the same dangers as Donington. Silverstone is not responsible for providing a Grand Prix, and it’s not Bernie Ecclestone’s job to give a cut-price race to Britain. »
