Ecclestone Backs Non Championship Race at Silverstone

Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has given Silverstone the green light to stage an unofficial British Grand Prix.

The official race at Silverstone is all set to be dropped when the final calendar for next year is confirmed in December.

"I have suggested it (an unofficial race), and I think it would be a cracking idea," Ecclestone told reporters at Interlagos. "The BRDC (Silverstone's owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club) say they cannot afford to pay the prices we charge to everyone else around the world, so this would be the ideal solution for them.

"They can set their own date, prices, find their own sponsors, do their own TV deal...maybe then they can get on with rebuilding and come back and talk to me in a couple of years about getting back on the official calendar," added Ecclestone.

Even though Ecclestone wants to remove the race from next year's Championship, the BRDC said in a statement on Thursday they would explore further avenues in their bid to save the event.

BRDC president Jackie Stewart also said he hoped support for the British Grand Prix would become clear when team principals met Ecclestone in Sao Paulo before this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, the final race in this year's Championship.

The idea of staging a non Championship Grand Prix at Silverstone was first suggested in Atlas F1's The Weekly Grapevine and has gained wide support since.