British GP Will be Held, Say Team Bosses

Formula One team bosses David Richards and Paul Stoddart said on Friday they are confident the British Grand Prix at Silverstone will be part of the World Championship in 2005.

The race was ditched last week after Silverstone's owners the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) were unable to meet Bernie Ecclestone's financial demands to secure a place on the calendar for next season.

A consortium named Brand Synergy Ltd, which includes Nigel Mansell among its board of directors, have stepped in and agreed to sign a seven-year promotion contract to help keep the British Grand Prix alive.

BAR-Honda team principal Richards and Minardi boss Stoddart said they are confident that Formula One cars will be racing around Silverstone next year with an 18th race added to the calendar.

"There will be a race," said Stoddart. "Anyone who wants to put their money on that is a pretty safe bet. Why is it all happening? One word: Politics."

Richards, whose team are based a short distance away from Silverstone at Brackley, added: "I am very confident there will be a solution found and we will be racing at Silverstone next year.

"(It is) just my own personal feeling and my personal wish that it should happen next year. Going back to the point before about traditional events, for us as a team the commercial impact of not having the event and the effect on all our staff as well is not acceptable."

The British Grand Prix has been a part of the Formula One since hosting the first-ever World Championship race in 1950 but the event has been dogged by problems and criticism in recent years.