SAVE OUR SILVERSTONE
Hamilton leads calls to keep British GP on F1 calendar
With a decision on the future of the British Grand Pr i x imminent, Lewis hamilton made an impassioned plea for his home race to remain on the calendar.
Silverstone’s owners, the British Racing Drivers’ Club, have a deal in place to host the race until 2026. Yet their fee — currently £18million per year — rises by five per cent annually.
this meant that, despite hamilton’s victory there 12 months ago being watched by 140,000 spectators, the event lost money.
the BRDC have discussed the possibility of exercising a break clause to terminate their contract after the 2019 race, but must give notice before this year’s renewal in a fortnight’s time.
‘there has got to be something in Britain,’ said hamilton, who has won four times at Silverstone. ‘it’s the most important race of the year. the support you get from the British fans makes it an amazing event that people love to come to.
‘the UK is the home of motor- sport. We’ve got such an incredible heritage and the British Grand Prix is where we really get to showcase it.’
Silverstone hosted the maiden Formula One world championship race in 1950 and will make history in 2018 as the closing leg of the sport’s first triple-header.
the British race will follow those in France and Austria on consecutive weekends from June 24. And hamilton said the punishing schedule held no fears for him.
‘i actually think it’s easier when it’s back to back. When i was karting it was just better going straight from one race to the next because you can stay in that zone. i just wish two of them were in Britain and they could put that French one aside,’ he joked. ‘i hope in future there is a London Grand Prix.’
Meanwhile, Jenson Button has urged the sport’s bosses to move on from the clash between hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, which overshadowed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Vettel was handed a 10- second stop- go penalty for deliberately driving into his title rival.
But following widespread criticism that the sanction was too lenient, the FiA announced on Wednesday that they will meet next Monday ‘to evaluate whether further action is necessary’. A decision will be made before next week’s Austrian Grand Prix.
in a tweet posted yesterday, Button said: ‘Azerbaijan GP was a pleasure 2watch. Why? because adrenaline & emotions were high. What Vettel did was silly but he’s been punished. Move on.’
Vettel finished fourth with hamilton fifth, a result which saw the German extend his championship lead over the Mercedes driver to 14 points with 12 races remaining.