F1 bosses pushing ahead with plans for Grand Prix in Greater London

Capital planning: Ross Brawn

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19 December 2018

Formula One bosses are pushing ahead with the possibility of a second British race on the calendar on the outskirts of London.

The sport’s hierarchy have given up on the long-mooted idea of a street race through central London, but talks are still ongoing over the feasibility of a race within the city’s wider commuter belt.

Should the plan go ahead, it would be held in addition to Silverstone. rather than instead of at the current home of the British Grand Prix, despite uncertainty over the Northamptonshire circuit’s place on the calendar beyond 2019.

F1’s owners, Liberty Media, which took over the sport at the start of last year, are keen for a foothold of sorts in the capital and this morning Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s office admitted talks were ongoing over the proposal. A spokesman said: “The Mayor believes that it should be possible to organise a race in London in the future and has asked his team to explore options with F1.”

City Hall officials and F1 bosses remain tight-lipped on any potential location and details of a possible second British race in a season, which happened in both 1983 and 1985, when Brands Hatch played home to the European Grand Prix in addition to Silverstone hosting the British race.

But Ross Brawn, F1’s head of motorsport, confirmed the idea of a race in central London was effectively dead and buried.

He told Standard Sport: “I think because F1 is a week-long activity minimum, the disruption it would cause in the centre of London would be unacceptable. I don’t think Londoners really need to worry about us taking over the centre of London for a week.

“But there are things on the periphery that are being explored — not slap-bang in the centre of London, but Greater London. We’d like to see London complement Silverstone, not replace it. We could see ways we could make it work both sides. London is an iconic city with a massive history in the sport and there’s huge enthusiasm here.”

Between 1963 and 1986, Brands Hatch hosted the British race on the calendar in alternate years with Silverstone and the Kent location is the only circuit remotely capable of hosting a second grand prix within London’s commuter belt.

But the hurdles to overcome for Brands are thought to be too much, with restrictions over noise levels and too much work to bring the circuit up the required standard.

Instead, should a London Grand Prix go ahead, it would more likely be in the form of a street race. A race in London

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F1 bosses pushing ahead with plans for Grand Prix in Greater London

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