Typhoon delays Silverstone agreement

A final agreement on the future of the British Grand Prix has been postponed due to the typhoon which is threatening to wreck this weekend’s Formula One event in Japan.

Formula One chiefs have been forced to focus on chances of rescuing Sunday’s race in Suzuka and that has meant the negotiations about the future of Silverstone have been put on hold.

It is understood that an agreement should still be reached by Wednesday’s deadline after Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone lowered his demands on the British Racing Drivers’ Club, the owners of Silverstone, who have also been offered an incentive package by the East Midlands Development Agency.

Once the Japanese Grand Prix is over – and there are understood to be real concerns that the whole event may have to be scrapped due to Typhoon Ma-on - then Silverstone will be back on the agenda.

Meanwhile, Formula One team owners today rallied round to back the British Grand Prix.

BAR boss David Richards today expressed his confidence that a British Grand Prix will happen at Silverstone in 2005 despite the protracted political play.

He said: “I am very confident there will be a solution found and we will be racing at Silverstone next year.

“I think tradition is a very important aspect of motor racing but it is a balance.

“At the end of the day everything moves on, everything evolves, whether it is a sporting event like Formula One or anything else.

“I don’t think anyone would argue that the addition of Shanghai and that wonderful circuit there has benefited Formula One but so does keeping some of the older circuits and keeping them going.

“For us as a team, and I’m sure for many of the other British-based teams, the commercial impact of not having the event, and the effect on all our staff as well, is to me not acceptable. We need to find a solution.”

Minardi owner Paul Stoddart believes Ecclestone’s repeated criticism of Silverstone’s facilities is unwarranted.

Ecclestone, the sport’s commercial rights holder, is fond of claiming Silverstone is the perfect example of how a grand prix track should not be built.

But Stoddart disagrees, saying: “Sometimes facilities are used as an argument but I don’t think that washes with most people.

“I think most people know the circuits that have good facilities and the circuits that have bad facilities and most certainly Silverstone does not feature at either end of that scale.

“It’s somewhere in the middle so that’s not much of an argument.”

The Australian is keen that teams’ demands for extra payment when the calendar exceeds 17 races is not used as an excuse to drop Silverstone.

He added: “There will be a race. Anyone who wants to put their money on that has a pretty safe bet. Why is it all happening? One word – politics.

“It does vary enormously but very few of us can go to a race for less than two million dollars. We do need to be compensated but please don’t anyone think of the teams as being greedy.”

Peter Sauber is another fan of Silverstone and feels the loss of the birthplace of the Formula One World Championship would be sad for the sport.

“There are two sides,” the Swiss team owner said.

“On one hand I think 16 or 17 grands prix are enough, on the other hand Great Britain is the homeland of motorsport and I think that it is important to have a British Grand Prix.

“Personally I like the track at Silverstone. I like Silverstone and I think all the tradition is important for Formula One.”