Octagon to Increase Spectators Limit for British GP

British Grand Prix promoters Octagon are to release almost ten percent more tickets for this year's race even though the crucial £57 million road network will not be completed in time for the event.

Octagon will decide on Friday whether to put another 5,000 tickets on sale after seeing continued demand despite Ferrari's controversial manipulation of the outcome of last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

Chief executive Rob Bain is confident that even though the Syresham and Silverstone by-pass dual carriageways will not be in place for the race, the planned traffic flow systems will make things easy for the fans.

But Bain quashed concerns that fans would be driven away from the event by Ferrari's controversial tactics and said that the company is still receiving more than 200 calls per day requesting tickets.

"You would expect a lot of people to be calling up for refunds but we are still getting lots of calls for Sunday tickets," said Bain. "People are talking about Formula One. It is partially because we are confident of the traffic improvements, and partly because of demand. We are getting over 200 calls per day for tickets.

"I am more than confident and it will be as if it were complete. The investment in roads, car parks and stewarding will make it the best Grand Prix for traffic ever. It is a fresh statement about Silverstone and it will put Silverstone back at the front of the European events."

The Northamptonshire police will direct all through traffic away from Silverstone for the first time ever in a bid to create easy access for the 65,000 spectators expected to attend the event.

Octagon are confident the $5 million bond given to Formula One's governing body, the FIA, in a promise to complete their Dadford Road dual carriageway entrance in time for the race will be returned.

The building work has been accelerated after the foot-and-mouth epidemic caused delays during the early part of this year, and enough is complete to ensure a two-lane entrance from every direction and there will be enough tarmac capacity for 5000 cars.