Williams: Silverstone Under Threat from Bahrain

The reaction of the Grand Prix circus to the new Bahrain International Circuit will threaten Silverstone's place on the Formula One calendar, according to team boss Frank Williams.

The facilities at the purpose-built super track, rising out of the desert sands just south of Bahrain's capital city Manama, have astonished members of the Formula One paddock.

And Williams warned: "As an Englishman I have always been a very big supporter of Silverstone and damn Bernie, so to speak, if he tries to kill it. But when you arrive here you think 'ooh, there is a problem'.

"It has changed my opinion - not to go all wobbly on Silverstone but when you step out of the car in the car park here and you see the scope of it all you just think 'wow, this is what Bernie is trying to achieve'."

The new track was built in 16 months, cost $150 million (US Dollars) and took a total of 8,265,000 man-hours with a workforce of more than 3000 working on its creation during peak times.

And Williams admitted that unless Silverstone is bought by Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone, who also owns France's Paul Ricard circuit, it will never be able to compete.

"Don't you think Bernie wants to own Silverstone?" he asked reporters. "What he has done with Ricard is just superb, absolutely superb. And I would suspect it (Silverstone) is a candidate for his loving attention.

"All these new places have government money and I think the point of view in England is if it is private enterprise then stay private enterprise. I don't think Formula One is high on the list of the present government's priorities."