British GP at Donington in 2002?

[Andy H]

According to UK newspaper The Times, Donington Park could host the British Grand Prix in 2002 with an emergency £25 million redevelopment programme. There is fear that John Prescott, the Secretary of State, may not approve Brands Hatch's plans to upgrade itself to Grand Prix standard.

Prescott, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, is expected to make a decision about investigating Brands Hatch's upgrading plans within days. Should he decide to call in the plans, then Brands Hatch might not finish its work in time for the 2002 British Grand Prix.

Brands Hatch Leisure Group's chief, Rob Bain, hopes that backing from the local authorities would be enough to allow the scheme to get the go ahead. But he has also spoken to officials from both Silverstone and Donington just in case. If Brands Hatch fails to host the Grand Prix and cannot find a replacement venue, then BHL faces a £10 million penalty.

Executives at Donington have already drawn up a contingency scheme should Brands Hatch face any delay. The sweeping Derbyshire circuit has good access roads, being just beside the M1 and M40 motorways and is situated next door to East Midlands airport.

Another issue is the number of parking lots. Silverstone has decided to cut car parking to 18,000 while Donington can offer 20,000, with a further 20,000 potentially available at the expanding airport.

Donington's owners, the American SFX group, are as ambitious as BHL. They are looking at staging a series of sporting events and rock concerts to compliment the racing.

However, the prospect of a grand prix would seriously affect the circuit's current redevelopment plans, as Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has very strict requirements for sophisticated medical and media facilities, well-equipped pits and garages and room for his digital TV production centre.

Donington is less likely to face planning problems. It is situated far from housing areas and is adjacent to an airport, where noise and environment considerations are less of a problem. These have been major issues with some local residents and environmental groups around Brands Hatch, which plans to expand into the woodlands.