Silverstone Back on the Calendar

7 Dec 2009

In a remarkable U-turn by the F1 motor racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone, there will be a British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2010.

First Bernie Ecclestone said that Silverstone was not good enough to host any more British Grand Prix, and he offered a seventeen year contract to Donnington even though at the time it would not be easy for Donnington to raise the necessary funds; then came the credit crunch and as a result all the Donnington plans failed. As a result, it seemed that there would not be a British grand Prix in 2010, and possibly not one in the foreseeable future.

However, in a U-turn, Ecclestone has agreed a seventeen year contract with Silverstone Circuits Limited to stage future events at the circuit.

The British Grand Prix has been staged for the last fifty years, and the thought of not staging one in the future was not popular amongst the race teams and the spectators. Last year 230,000 people attended the Silverstone three day event, and with two back to back British champions now racing in the same car, undoubtedly this year’s event will be a sell out too.

Jenson Button, the current champion, has said that he is delighted that there will be a Grand Prix at Silverstone and that it would have been unthinkable to have a season without a race in Britain. Jenson at 11/2 at Victor Chandler, is now the joint third favourite along with Sebastian Vettel to take the 2010 title. Favourite is Hamilton at 11/4, followed by Alonso at 10/1.

There is increasing speculation that Michael Schumacher will return to the sport to race for Mercedes GP and if he does expect some changes to the odds. Ecclestone has said that his return is more than a rumour.

All odds correct at time of writing and are subject to change