British GP dropped! (Infinite Merge Action!)

[Matthopps]

Might the Grand Prix switch to London?!

[stefan]

Article seems to have gone - perhaps they put it up too soon?

[mattmarvell]

it's on autosport's website

[stefan]

just found it here too...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/3703350.stm

[Kicking-back]

Britain has no devine right to a Grand Prix - and it looks like there may not be one in France either.

[ralf fan]

[ss_collins]

London - I can't see it being ready in time - the roads need resurfacing

[spider]

Hmm, still think something will be fixed, this is merely Bernie trying to give the BRDC a kick up the backside. I'd be surprised if we weren't on the schedule for 05.

[twig]

Well if this is true, it is purely disgusting. I don't think i will go so far as to say i will not keep watching F1 from now on, because that isnt the case. But apart from politics, you would think the British GP had all going for it in terms of F1 Racing....obviously not enough.

[Spudgun]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
Britain has no devine right to a Grand Prix

That is true, but it just feels like a kick in the teeth when the yawnathon of Hungagoring and the dodginess of Interlagos get extended contracts. But then the reason for that is $$$$ of course.

From what I understood the BRDC was £3 million short in it's proposal. The UK Govt could/should have helped. Every other race gets government support. We have a sports minister, but what do they do? Not a lot from what I can gather.

*grinds teeth*

[Kicking-back]

It jars with me that Germany and Italy have two Grands Prix next year, while as it appears Britain and France will have none.

[RobertNickson]

Is it really such a bad thing if we don't have a British GP? The BRDC, along with the MSA have the mission to protect Motorsport in the UK. Mostly through the young driver sponsorships etc. If they were to promote the GP, (at a loss remember, as F1 is asking more than is affordable) then they would not be able to fulfill their support duties. I personnally would rather them support UK Motorsport as a whole than throw money at the GP for 3 days of alledged racing per year. I for one will not be losing much sleep over this tonight.

[g7hkq]

From the BBC webpage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/3703350.stm

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone will not take place in 2005 after being omitted from the provisional calendar. The decision has still to be ratified by the world council of the FIA, which meets on 13 October. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone reportedly wanted £8.9m from race organisers the British Racing Drivers' Club to host the race. BRDC president Jackie Stewart said: "The BRDC cannot afford the British Grand Prix at any price."

[Suzy]

Bernie Ecclestone .... (edited) !

(sorry, I know feelings are bound to run high, but let's not go that far... thanks, garcon )

He's taken away a Grand Prix from a country where Grand Prix racing began, which hosts many of the current F1 and rally teams.

And why? Because he's not able to read road signs and he's sulking because he can't have 20 Tilke go-kart tracks!

I hope the teams boycott races to make their point. Perhaps Brazil will be the one to boycott this season - it's a poor circuit with ****ty facilities, theft is rife (especially in the press room) and it's promoter is the poison dwarf itself!

[Neil Warland]

Here we go again...

[rbs]

tyrrellf1 is talking about Manchester & Birmingham, if Silverstone has lost the GP and it's revenue then the last thing we need is 2 temporary circuits. All of our permanent
venue's will need supporting as much as possible. What would be wrong with a champ car double in Norhamptonshire, we do have 2 of the major circuits and both are capable of running such events.

[luke]

But has exciting racing and big atendances and is the only race in South America.

[PeterJohnstone]

http://www.petitiononline.com/11688523/petition.html

Show your support for the British GP by signing here

[luke]

Thanks for the link PeterJohnstone, and welcome to 10-10ths!

I showed my support!

Common 10-10ths members get going!

[Mike_Wooshy]

Originally posted by TerryC
Personally, I really would like to have Ecclestone removed.

here ye here ye HERE YE

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by rbs
if Silverstone has lost the GP and it's revenue....

All of our permanent
venue's will need supporting as much as possible.

The revenue from the British Grand Prix is less than the fee the BRDC need to pay Bernie to have the race.

So it won't mean other circuits need propping up.

[andrew_powell98]

the only thing worth going for was the fun with the marshals, appart from that did not enjoy it. I for one wont miss it, what I feel sorry for is all the marshals who go or marshals who are not as lucky as me and go to some foreign GP's instead.
Silverstone does have to improve and if more races are to be added to the calender then events like Silverstone, Spa, Austria, France, will have to have a year on and a year off to spread the races around the world.

[Gt_R]

3mil dollars..if the government , strangely, doesn't want to top up the shortfall, why won't UK based teams such as Mclaren, Williams, etc each top up abit from their budget if F1 meant so much to them?

Unless they do think that Silverstone GP is dispensable.

[PeterJohnstone]

What is an even bigger disgrace is that Octagon paid Bernie a very sizeable 8 figure sum in compensation only a few months ago so Bernie is effectively after 2 lots of money for the same product

[Suzy]

I see the FIA have removed their email address from their website (cowards!).

We're not alone - France stand to lose their GP next year too in favour of oversized sandpits with no facilities for the fans(Bahrain), and Turkey (mind the bombs and Al-Quaeda on the track) and yet another snorefest in the shape of Hungary (cue more slow-mo's of Ross Brawn eating bananas), Imola (what is the point?), Hockenheim... or is it the Nurburgring - too bloody hard to tell the difference between the 2 these days! Whichever one it is, the races are ****.

What is so wrong with VARIETY Bernie? We need the likes of Silverstone, we need the pompous glitz of Monaco, we need the summer tracks like Albert Park, we need the intricacies of Suzuka, we need the speed of Monza, we need the thrill of Spa. We don't need 20 or so twiddly tracks that are the same and we all sit there saying "where are we this week again?". Okay, so the F1 circus that travels around usually consists of the same people - but we don't need the same tracks too.