Final Silverstone ultimatum.

Bernie Ecclestone has given Silverstone a final ultimatum to sign the contract for the 2010 British Grand Prix.

The outline of the ultimatum is that if by the time the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) next meets in Paris on 11 December to ratify the 2010 calendar, Silverstone don’t have the contract signed, Ecclestone will have no option but to scrap the race.

Ecclestone said:

“The World Council will meet and we will just pull it off — we will have to. We’ll have no other choice, if we don’t have a contract. We shouldn’t have anything on the calendar unless we have a contract in place.

“They are close and they know they are close. It’s not the terms and conditions so much, as whether the investors are prepared to bankroll them and take the risk.”

“Of course we want a British Grand Prix. I’ve been spending an awful lot of time trying to make sure it does happen, but there is no chance of an exceptional contract for Silverstone. Why should there be?”

Donington were due to hold the British Grand Prix 2010, before they failed to raise the funds required. Recently, the owners of Donington Park have gone into administration.