Why the future is bright for the British GP

It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come

Matt Kew Jul 1, 2022, 9:40 AM

Upd: Jul 1, 2022, 9:40 AM

Five short years ago, Silverstone bosses were poised to activate a break clause with Formula 1 because Bernie Ecclestone’s escalator fees meant hosting a race was decreasingly financially viable. Back then, Monaco seemed unimpeachable. How times change.

Now the UK’s flagship motorsport venue enjoys a “really strong” and “much more collaborative” relationship with Liberty Media, according to managing director Stuart Pringle. Just as Albert Park in Australia has recently confirmed a deal, Silverstone is “prepared to join hands and walk down the aisle” by signing a long-term contract extension. Most vital of all, it has kept pace with the changing landscape of F1 in this Netflix boom period to set an example for its at-risk historic counterparts.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.