Ecclestone dampens Silverstone hopes
The prospect of there being a Silverstone Grand Prix next summer looked increasingly bleak today after Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone appeared to draw a line under negotiations with the British Racing Drivers’ Club and moved on to consider overseas alternatives.
The BRDC had recently said that negotiations with Ecclestone would have to be concluded by the end of October if the grand prix – provisionally scheduled for the first week in July – was to be saved.
But the two parties have been at loggerheads over contracts for the race, which appear to have stalled to the point where they are now all played out.
Although Ecclestone had dropped his price, the length of the deal on the table was unacceptable to the BRDC, and now the F1 chief has switched his focus away from the Northamptonshire track and to foreign climes.
“What could I do?” Ecclestone told The Times.
“I have got an offer from another country who are looking to build a lovely venue and invest a lot of money in Formula One – and they will pay the going rate.
“I have to give them a year’s notice to go ahead. If I miss that because I am still messing about with the BRDC, I would be keeping out a country that desperately wants to be in the Formula One World Championship.”
| Related Stories: |
|
