Former Champions Saddened by Silverstone Loss

Former World Champions expressed dismay and disgust on Friday at the prospect of a Formula One championship without a British Grand Prix next year.

"I think it's a real disaster that this has happened," declared three-times champion Jackie Stewart, now the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club which owns Silverstone, after news broke that the race at Silverstone had been dropped from the provisional 2005 calendar.

Silverstone hosted the first Formula One Grand Prix in 1950, won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo, and only Britain and Italy have been on the calendar every year since. Seven of the 10 teams are based in Britain.

Both Ferrari and Williams had their first wins there, in 1951 and 1979 respectively.

However, the race at the former World War Two airfield now faces the axe after Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the circuit's owners failed to reach a deal on promoting it.

Scot David Coulthard, twice a winner at Silverstone, told the Times: "The sport has turned its back on its foundations. I am very sorry."

Australian Alan Jones, the 1980 champion who won the race in his title year with Williams, was saddened but not surprised.

"I don't know whether there's legitimate problems with the circuit," he told Australia's ABC radio. "But I know there's a bit of political ancy-dancy going on and there's been a few personal conflicts between some people and in that respect there's probably no big surprise.

"I hoped it would have gone to Brands Hatch or Donington and for there to be no British Grand Prix for the first time in virtually history, would be enormously disappointing."

Briton John Surtees, the 1964 World Champion, said Silverstone was a far better venue now than it had been and hoped teams and manufacturers might ensure its survival.

"From the point of view of the Grand Prix manufacturers, it would be disastrous (if it went) because this is one of their highest profit margin markets," he told Reuters.