Silverstone Considers Non-Championship Race

Silverstone chiefs revealed on Thursday that they could consider staging a breakaway British Grand Prix if Formula One ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone follows through on his threat to scrap the race.

The British Racing Drivers' Club, who own the Silverstone circuit, will meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss their next move after Ecclestone called time on talks on Tuesday and claimed that the race had no future.

Silverstone has been included on the provisional calendar for 2005 but Ecclestone has continued to criticise the circuit and, as suggested by Atlas F1's The Weekly Grapevine this week, the BRDC could now choose to drop out and run an unofficial non-championship race.

"We have heard suggestions we may have a non-championship round," BRDC chief executive Alex Hooton told the BBC. "That would have attractions as we wouldn't have to pay the fees to Formula One but there is nothing definite on that. I'm not sure he [Ecclestone] doesn't want to hold a British Grand Prix.

"All we can do is make the circuit available and offer a fee that is affordable to ourselves and make improvements here that can assure the long-term future of the Grand Prix at Silverstone."

Ecclestone claims that other circuits keen on a place on the Formula One circuit would be unfairly held back if Silverstone is given preferential treatment and kept on the calendar without a firm financial plan for the future.

"We have to admit defeat and end the discussions," Ecclestone said on Tuesday. "It looks certain there will not be a British GP in 2005."

Circuits making their debut this season in Bahrain and China have raised the standard for Formula One tracks and there are several other countries said to be ready to bid for a race. But Hooton insists the BRDC is not concerned that Silverstone could be bypassed in favour of a race in London.

He said: "I don't think it is necessarily leading to a London Grand Prix but there are other factors impinging on Mr Ecclestone's thinking. He has got a potentially overcrowded calendar of 19 races."

For more on this, read Atlas F1's The Weekly Grapevine.