Ecclestone has No Sentiments for the British GP

Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone insists he will not allow sentiment to get in the way if he feels the British Grand Prix no longer deserves a place on the Formula One calendar.

Ecclestone has been a long-term critic of the Silverstone circuit despite ploughing funds into the development of the Northamptonshire track himself and branded the event "a country fair masquerading as a world event" last year.

Organisers Octagon have a long-term contract to run the race, but Ecclestone has made it clear that improvements must be made to the entire Silverstone circuit if it is to retain Formula One status in the future.

China and Bahrain are two nations that will move into the sport for the first time next year and Moscow is also keen to join the circus, with European races becoming under increasing pressure.

"Octagon, they will honour their contract for sure as long as they are in business," Ecclestone said.

"I raced in the first British Grand Prix and I don't have any sentiment about anything. If they don't match up they should not be on the calendar. I'm ashamed, that's all, of the British Grand Prix. Simple.

"It's beautiful when people come to me and they say we want to go to Silverstone to see what to do and I say 'well, don't go to Silverstone, go to Barcelona or Germany or...'.

"You see how they are fighting at the moment to get the Olympic games in Britain, and quite right too; so they should. And, other people do the same.

"But others try to get the Formula One event, which I think is just as important. But the British seem to think it is a right and there's got to be a British Grand Prix."

The British Grand Prix first came under scrutiny in 2000 when the race, held in April - earlier than its traditional date - descended into a farce after torrential rain left mud-hit car parks inaccessible for spectators.

Threats then prompted improvements to be made to road access, which was equally troublesome the following year in 2001, car parking and the circuit itself.

Sir Jackie Stewart, the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, the owners of Silverstone, is hoping to conclude discussions with the government and secure extra funding to help develop the circuit.

Britain is one of the few on the Formula One calendar that has not had any backing from the state, with Octagon, the BRDC and Ecclestone putting in £20 million (pounds) each to improve facilities since the 2000 rain-hit debacle.

But Ecclestone said: "They could build anything. Seriously. They (the BRDC) could borrow money against the rent they get and they could do that quite easily.

"The government should then subsidise the promoter Octagon, who bring all the people into the country, who pay all the taxes, and then it is not a big amount they'd have to pay. They could have the British Grand Prix forever. Lots of governments do it.

"They support the promoter (as opposed to the circuit owner) and some of them do build their own track, but the BRDC have enough rent from Octagon to do it, to borrow £60 million and then they could build something quite super.

"They've already had £60 million and spent it. I don't think it's that they've done anything wrong, except they haven't spent it wisely."