Britain could lose its GP

Bernie Ecclestone has dropped the strongest hint yet that the British Grand Prix could lose its place in the calendar for good if the newly signed promoters at Donington Park do not have the circuit ready on time for their race in 2010.

Asked whether the redesigned Donington circuit would be ready, the Formula One commercial rights holder replied: “How do I know? I’m not a civil engineer, so you should ask the promoters.” He added that he was very clear what would happen if he was let down, however: “I would do what I would otherwise have done this week, gone and signed up with somebody else.” By that he means taking the race to another country.

Ecclestone, whose modus operandi is to keep the sport guessing, suggested more races could be added to the calendar. This year there will be 18 rounds, increasing to 19 when Abu Dhabi joins in 2009, and Ecclestone is trying to persuade the teams to sign up for 20 GPs. Removing the British race would shock Formula One but Ecclestone believes global demand is insatiable and that he can afford to be uncompromising with new promoters who, like those at Donington Park, are prepared to pay about $30m (£15m) a year, almost $8m more than Silverstone does.

Not that Ecclestone’s remarks were intended to offer any consolation to Silverstone or its owners, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), with whom he had been in protracted negotiations for the last five years about a long-term upgrade. Those negotiations apparently came to an end on July 4 when the Donington promoters pledged £100m to redevelop their circuit and fund the race for five years. Ecclestone was insistent that there was no way back for Silverstone, which first staged the race in 1948.

“There’s nothing they can do,” he said. “A couple of days ago I signed a binding contract with the Donington promoters and I don’t want to be sued by them.”

Members of the BRDC reacted stoically. “I think it’s fair to say that the BRDC is sanguine about recent developments and will be making a measured response to this issue in due course,” said one senior member.

Those with longer memories believe this saga has strong similarities to the episode in 1999 when Brands Hatch signed to run the British GP only to find that it was impossible to get planning permission to upgrade the circuit, or secure sufficient land to build state-of-the art pits and paddock.

The upshot was that the owners of Brands Hatch tried unsuccessfully to buy Silverstone and the race reverted to Northamptonshire.

Some BRDC insiders think Donington will have to do the same — however much Ecclestone may disagree with them.

Alan Henry© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008