The dream of a British Grand Prix through the streets of London has taken a step closer to reality in the aftermath of a highly successful and well attended F1 Live event through the streets of Britain’s capital.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told Sky, “Clearly, if it’s the case that talks have broken down with Silverstone, I’m happy to talk and listen to F1. There are some hurdles we’ll have to overcome.”
“I’ve met the new leadership of F1, they’re a breath of fresh air, they’re very exciting, they’ve got cracking ideas, and if they want to have a conversation with me, I’m really happy to talk, listen, and work with them to make it happen.”
“Let’s wait and see. F1 have only just got out of the deal with Silverstone. But the reality is, there are so many F1 fans in London. Some hurdles we’ll have to overcome, but there’s no reason at all why it can’t be beyond the wit of us to organise an F1 race in London in the future.”
“We’re good at organising events safely. I’m reassured we can make everyone safe in London and we’re going to make sure events are successful. I’m sure F1, working with us, can in the future have an F1 race in London. Watch this space,” added Khan.
Amid news that Silverstone have triggered a break clause in the British Grand Prix contract, Liberty Media bosses are adamant that a race in Britain is a priority for the sport’s future and have clearly not ruled out extending a deal with the sport’s longest serving circuit beyond 2019.
Sean Bratches, managing director of F1’s commercial operations, told ESPN, “We are going to have a British Grand Prix. I have been in this chair for six months now, notwithstanding the UK we have probably had 30 to 40 countries and municipalities reach out to me and express interest in hosting a grand prix.”
“It is an incredibly valuable asset not only to the circuit, but also the country and the city where these take place in.”
“We have three years left at Silverstone 2017, 2018, 2019 and we are going to put our shoulder behind making those the best grands prix we have ever seen. In the interim we are going to figure out where we are going next in Great Britain. It maybe Silverstone or maybe somewhere else.”
“We have 20 grands prix promoters, I would say that very few are top shelve promoters. Our job is to help those that effectuate it well and those that are not. We can activate fan experiences, activate marketing to really sell these events in new ways. I think there is an opportunity to help our friends at Silverstone do a better job,” added Bratches.
This year Silverstone hosts it’s 51st grand prix since the modern era which began in 1950, only Monza (66 grands prix) and Monaco (64 grands prix) have hosted more F1 World Championship races.
Big Question: How important is the British Grand Prix for Formula 1?