What can he say? He thinks the facilities are outdated and the Government is not interested in funding the races there. What a brilliant advertisement for British sport when countries such as China - who host the 2008 Olympics - have just poured £200million into a new track in Shanghai.
Former Sports Minister Kate Hoey said: "We can't go on year after year having this. There are so many other countries coming forward wanting to have grands prix.
"Here we are - a country saying we care about sport and we are trying to bid for the Olympics. What message does this send to the rest of the world and all our competitors in terms of the Olympic bid?"
The difference in price to host the race that the owners of Silverstone and Ecclestone are arguing about amounts to about £1m - peanuts in F1 terms.
It is understandable that the Government is reluctant to be seen to be pouring cash into a sport that most taxpayers regards as rolling in money.
But Sports Minister Richard Caborn needs to bang some heads together quickly in the F1 industry in the next week and solve this problem before it seriously damages Britain's image and London's 2012 chances.
.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&quality=75&auto=webp&width=320&crop=8:5,smart)
