Silverstone: A Permanent Home in Formula 1
The Silverstone circuit could secure its place on the Formula 1 calendar indefinitely, according to Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the sport, prior to this weekend’s race. Domenicali, in statements to the press, expressed that he does not envision a championship without Great Britain, a country that hosts seven of the ten teams. Furthermore, he ruled out the possibility of the country hosting more than one race.The Italian executive plans to visit Downing Street on Wednesday along with drivers and team bosses to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Silverstone, which hosted the first race of the world championship in 1950, has a contract in place until 2034. Last year, the event attracted the largest number of spectators of the entire calendar, with 480,000 attendees. Miami and Austria’s Red Bull Ring have the most extensive agreements, both valid until 2041. Domenicali sees no reason why Silverstone cannot join them, although the circuit’s administration has not yet requested an extension. The meeting at Downing Street is presented as an informal celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first F1 championship race at Silverstone, but it is also an opportunity to address issues of interest to the sport. Domenicali plans to highlight the contribution of the “F1 ecosystem” to Great Britain, considering it the heart of a global sport, and the risk of losing that leadership position due to restrictions on personnel and mobility. According to Formula 1 calculations, the sport contributes 12 billion pounds sterling ($16.48 billion) annually to the UK economy, with 6,000 direct jobs and another 41,000 in a supply chain of 4,500 companies. The Italian executive pointed out that visa issues following Brexit have affected the movement of career personnel from race to race across Europe, and that the costly and time-consuming paperwork has complicated logistics and made it difficult to draw up the race calendar. He warned that, “It is impossible to think in the short term that the teams will move from the United Kingdom due to this limitation, but the teams will perhaps organize themselves differently. What we ask is not to change the decision that your country has made, because it is not our mandate or our role, but to facilitate the things that are putting a burden on the economic aspect. And also in terms of the possibility of being, as a country, more attractive to keep the central part of F1 in this country.”I believe Silverstone has the right characteristics to stay on the calendar forever.
Stefano Domenicali
