Stewart hits out at Government lack of action
Sir Jackie Stewart last night insisted that the Government should have done more to support Silverstone after it lost the British Grand Prix to Donington Park from 2010.
Donington's owners have promised a 100m upgrade programme to bring the Leicestershire track up to Formula One standards – a project that will largely be funded by a private investment.
Silverstone, which is owned by the British Racing Drivers' Club, had also planned a major redevelopment, but had struggled to attract the Government backing that Stewart feels would have put it on a more even level with other F1 venues around the world.
The three-time world champion and former president of the BRDC said: "I tried very hard. I think I saw something like 82 Members of Parliament in total, with a great concept: that if they are putting so much money into other sports as they have in the last 10 years, motorsport should enjoy some of that benefit, because we employ close to 60,000 people in the motorsport industry in the UK. We don't want to lose that.
"It's mostly in what we call motorsport valley, between Cambridge and Oxford, so mostly in the right area for Silverstone.
"The government didn't want to do it, and yet they overspent enormous sums of money on the Olympics."
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed the deal with Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd, who are fronted by computer magnate Simon Gillett and partner Lee Gill who are leasing the track from owner Tom Wheatcroft, was done three months ago.
Ecclestone said the BRDC had had a contract on the table and had until the British Grand Prix to sign it, but they simply couldn't afford it.
Stewart was critical of the rising cost of hosting a Grand Prix.
"The cost of running a Formula One race now is so high that there's no profit in it, so you actually lose money by having a Formula One race," said Stewart.
"Because of that, you can't reinvest in your facility. That was the problem that faced Silverstone as a private members' club, because most other Grands Prix around the world are financed, or at least assisted financially, by governments.
"I think it was wrong that a private members' club should have to go into debt to keep the British Grand Prix for the nation."
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