Analysis: Silverstone Gears Up for Acid Test

Organisers of the British Formula One Grand Prix face their 'acid test' on Sunday, hoping to escape past traffic nightmares after spending millions on improvements.

Two years ago Silverstone became a major issue when the race was held in April. Newspapers carried embarrassing photographs of chaos with bedraggled spectators and cars bogged down in mud.

Continuing congestion last July led the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) to warn that the prestige event risked being struck off the calendar.

The threat was taken seriously, with countries such as Russia, China and Bahrain planning state-of-the-art facilities to replace Grands Prix currently hosted by European countries. Promoters Octagon Motorsport eventually paid a $5.0 million bond to the FIA and promised to improve access for this year's race.

They also greatly reduced the number of raceday tickets from 90,000 to 60,000.

The bond was returned by the FIA when a new approach road to the circuit was opened last month and Rob Bain, the Octagon chief executive, said on Saturday that some 22,000 cars were expected on Sunday.

"When you've got that number of cars coming to the circuit, it will be our acid test," he said.

Mosley Positive

FIA president Max Mosley agreed that the early indications were promising, saying organisers had made a serious and impressive effort, but reserved his judgement until Sunday evening.

"So far, so good," he told reporters. "I think the new roads are a huge improvement and when they're finished it will be really night and day compared to the old days."

Silverstone, a World War Two airfield approached by minor roads, hosted the first Formula One race in 1950 and the country has held a Grand Prix in every year since that historic debut.

"It's a little bit chaotic in the circuit, they haven't got perhaps as good a system of signs and routes and roads and people in charge as they could have. But you can't expect to do everything at once," said Mosley.

"Hopefully next year they'll have proper access roads, proper organisation in the circuit. Apparently it's much better than it's ever been so far on a Saturday. But Sunday will really tell."

Low Crowds

Sunday's crowd, for an event that clashes with the Wimbledon men's tennis final, promises to be the smallest for years and the main grandstands were gaping with empty seats on Saturday for official qualifying.

The seemingly poor attendance raised fears that high prices and past problems might have deterred some fans, although Bain said advance sales for the first two days had been 15 percent up on last year.

"I won't criticise the economics but dropping the numbers was a little harsh, synchronised with a price hike and a three-day minimum (ticket)," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis after Saturday's qualifying.