> British Government lends support to Silverstone plans

The Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, has given his backing to the BRDC's 'masterplan' to redevelop Silverstone and secure the future of the British Grand Prix.

Mr Sutcliffe, who replaced Richard Caborn MP in July, was shown the plans by BRDC president Damon Hill, Silverstone MD Richard Phillips and development director Spencer Canning.

But while Mr Sutcliffe gave his full support to the project, which includes concepts for a business park, a manufacturer test centre, an two hotels and a university campus, as well as major upgrades to Silverstone’s pit and paddock facilities as and new grandstands, he ruled out any direct financial support from the government.

"We can't do that and we've not been asked to do that at this stage," he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"We've been asked to support sustainable development which has lots of vision in it and has the opportunity for the government to support in a variety of creative ways.

"We have talked about this fantastic decade of sport in Britain coming up with the Olympics, possibly the Commonwealth Games and the rugby and football World Cup bids.

"To lose the British Grand Prix would be a massive blow and we really don't want to do that."

His remarks are in contrast to those made by FIA president Max Mosley in September when he suggested the government should be subsidising the effort to save the British GP as its place on the calendar continues to come under threat from newer, state-of-art venues around the world.

“The government can and should help,” he said.

“Their taboo on subsidising sport went out of the window when they poured billions into the London Olympics.

“Arguably the British Grand Prix is more important and a greater tradition for the UK than the Olympics.

“They happen once every 50 years; the British Grand Prix is annual. If it went, the government would be to blame.”

Hill, who won the event in 1994 for Williams, said that Silverstone was a cornerstone of F1 tradition.

“It remains, with only a handful of other circuits such as Monza, Spa and Monaco one of the rare originals on the Grand Prix calendar," he said

"Together with a highly professional commercial team on Silverstone Holdings Limited we are determined to continue that tradition.”

“The stimulating effect of Silverstone on the motor sport, entertainment and manufacturing industries can not be underestimated," he added.

"The effect of the British Grand Prix on inspiring the next generation of driving talent should not need emphasising. The Moss’s, Stewarts, Mansells and Hamiltons of the future need a home grand prix to maximise that continued inspiration.”

Silverstone enjoyed sell-out crowds at this year's GP as the sport basked in the halo effect of Lewis Hamilton's extraordinary rise to prominence.

But F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone warned at the time that Hamilton's huge popularity would not change his stance that the race would be dropped from the bill unless the BRDC urgently improved Silverstone's infrastructure.

"It hasn't changed anything," he said.

"Maybe they will be able to wake up and think they can make things work and do something.

"By mid-2008 we've got to have the new buildings and everything put in place.

"I hope they've had a wake-up call and I hope they do something."

Hill warned on Friday that while the BRDC was committed to saving the event, it would not bankrupt itself in the pursuit of doing so.

"It may well be that the market has changed whereby Formula One can only be afforded around the world by government expenditure, as we have seen a number of times," he said.

"The BRDC is prepared to go all the way… but we can't afford to go bust."

Source: itv-f1