Stewart praises Rockingham venue

The three-time World Champion raced in the Indianapolis 500 several times, taking a sensational win as a rookie in 1966. But he said he hadn't seen much oval racing since the days when he provided expert commentary for the ABC network's auto racing coverage.

"It's a bit of déjà vu for me, especially seeing Darren Manning here for his first race," Stewart remarked. "I remember tackling oval racing for the first time and it was a new way of driving fast, very smoothly and not spectacularly. I hope many people can see what it's about because it could be a big part of British motorsport in the future. I must congratulate everyone for what they have done here."

Stewart noted that Rockingham provided a positive example for Silverstone, which is in the midst of a series of upgrades to ensure the British Grand Prix remains on the Formula 1 calendar.

"Rockingham has the advantage of being a brand new facility, like many of the tracks Silverstone is up against like Malaysia," Stewart remarked. "Magny-Cours is newer, and Hockenheim has just been remodeled. There are always things to learn. The suites on the straight here are very impressive and we will be looking to create something similar at Silverstone, which is a lovely facility, but it's an old facility that started out in the '40s. We need to tidy our house and I believe the British Grand Prix will be more spectator-friendly in the future."