Grapevine: London Should Have Own GP, Says Montoya

London should have its own Formula One Grand Prix through the city centre like in Monaco, Juan Pablo Montoya said on Tuesday.

The Williams driver's comments add weight to remarks by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, a critic of Britain's only Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone who has hinted he would like to see a race in London.

"It would be awesome," Montoya told reporters gathered to watch eight Formula One teams drive in a parade down Regent Street through the capital's main shopping district.

"Hyde Park corner would be really good," he said. "All those corners around there...even in your own car that's really fun."

Silverstone, a World War Two airfield, hosted the first Formula One Grand Prix in 1950 but its facilities are antiquated compared to more modern venues. The organisers of the central London event, due to take place later on Tuesday, temporarily welded shut over 100 manhole covers to make the roads safer for the drivers.

But Montoya warned the streets would still be bumpy, and he would be aiming for smokey wheel spins rather than speed. He also admitted he had not paid the city's congestion charge, a controversial fee for driving in central London.

"I think the team will have to pay the fine," he said.