Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd had until 1200 GMT on Monday to show it had the finances required to redevelop the circuit. Donington launched a bond issue in an attempt to raise £135m, but that proved unsuccessful.
Will there still be a British Grand Prix at Silverstone?
The question that is now on everyone’s lips is will there still be a British GP at Silverstone? With the noises coming out of Bernie Ecclestone we really don’t know. At this year’s British GP at Silverstone Ecclestone said “There will be a British Grand Prix next year, for sure, but it all depends on Donington getting their act together, If not, we’ll be here at Silverstone again, Don’t worry.” However he recently said “If [Silverstone] can’t make it work then don’t do it. If that happens, there won’t be a British Grand Prix. Simple as that.” He said that Silverstone have a contract in front of them that they are yet to agree with. It seems Silverstone want a discount rate that other ‘traditional’ Grands Prix like Monza and Monaco have.
My Thoughts
I am not sure why but Ecclestone doesn’t really seem to like the British Grand Prix or Silverstone. I feel Silverstone should be given a discount rate, given that a Grand Prix was first held there in 1926 and the British Grand Prix is as old as the Italian Grand Prix and that has the discount. If 1926 is not traditional, I don’t know what is!
Ecclestone has said we don’t need a British Grand Prix, and no we don’t, but we should! The circuits in Britain are classic circuits, where the fans are close to the racing, not one of Hermann Tilke’s boring bland circuits where there is empty circuits and fans restricted to grandstands miles from the tracks.
Grand Prix racing was invented in Britain and not to have a GP here is criminal!
Jack Sargeant is the editor-in-chief and designer of An F1 Blog. Follow him on 
