Silverstone's Future as GP Venue 'in Question'

Formula One chief Max Mosley said on Friday the future of Silverstone and the British Grand Prix was "very much in question".

Speaking at a news conference on the eve of the first U.S. Grand Prix here since the 1960's, and the first in America since 1991, Mosley said he was embarrassed by Silverstone.

Silverstone's reputation was tarnished at the British Grand Prix in April when thousands of ticket-holders were denied access because of bad weather and ground conditions at the circuit.

Asked to compare Indianapolis and Silverstone as venues for Formula One, Mosley, the president of the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), said: "I think it certainly wouldn't hurt if in the United Kingdom we had a facility to the same standard as this one here.

"We hope before long in the United Kingdom there will be a facility of world standard. If there isn't, the future of the British Grand Prix as a round of the world championship must be very much in question."

It was not the first time Mosley or Bernie Ecclestone, the president of Formula One Management (FOM) and a vice-president of the FIA, had criticised Silverstone so severely.

In recent weeks, they said Silverstone was not fit to host a world-class event.

Pressed further on the same subject, Mosley said: "There's always been some tracks less than perfect, but the really bad thing about Silverstone is the fact that the public cannot get in and out in a reasonable time.

"It is probably the worst circuit in the world from that point of view. It's really difficult to imagine how you can hold a world championship event somerwhere where there's no access."

Asked if access was the only reason for his criticism of Silverstone, Mosley added: "The facilities there are second rate and they obviously need to be improved.

"But the biggest single problem was having television pictures shown all over the world of people stuck in the mud, stuck in traffic jams, people complaining it took them six hours and they still didn't get there. That really is unacceptable. It damages the whole image of Formula One."