Will Silverstone be a part of Calendar beyond 2019?

The 2011 British GP race start.

Silverstone has always been an important circuit for Grand Prix racing. But will its contract be renewed after 2019? That is still a question that BRDC members and directors are not sure of.

The home of British Grand Prix will possibly drop in 2020 after a huge loss in last 5 years, reaching to £50 Million after 2017. The circuit hosted the very first Formula One Grand Prix back in 1950 but it hasn't always been the permanent venue for the British Grand Prix as Brands Hatch was replaced with it. Since 1979, every British Grand Prix is held at this circuit but its future is in danger as both BRDC and Liberty Media can't come to a conclusion in the wake of 2020 race.

In 2009, Bernie Ecclestone tried to replace Silverstone with Donington Park but the deal didn't come to an agreement and Silverstone agreed to renew its contract for 17-years, till the end of 2027.

It has been a shaky deal since then, with Silverstone having a loss of record £7.1 Million every year since 2010, forcing the organisers to increase the costs of tickets and grandstand packages. The race still got a warm welcome with more than 35000 fans every year and the race being one of best races every year.

But as we head into the last British Grand Prix this year at Silverstone (possibly), there is more to lose for the sport than the organisers. The British Grand Prix is only free-to-air race in 2019, following Channel 4's end of contract that leaves only Sky Sports the leading channel for covering 2019 races. More than that, British Grand Prix is home of most of the F1 teams. The lack of exposure in UK now will force the teams to move to European countries, with a smaller part of Brexit playing its role.

The iconic paddock building of the Silverstone circuit.

"We have reached the tipping point where we can no longer let our passion for the sport rule our heads”, John Grant, the club chairman, said when it was announced. “Put simply, it is no longer financially viable for us to deliver the British Grand Prix under the terms of our current contract."

That leaves British Grand Prix with no home as the organisers ruled out any possibility of the future of the race. The CEO of Formula One, Chase Carey is planning of racing in London's street, after a demo event in 2017 proved successful. But there is no certainty on that.

"We want to secure a deal with countries of limited fanbase and exposure. Asia is a good place to start with. We have China, Japan, Singapore and now Vietnam coming into shape. The future is bright for the sport", said Carey in an interview after the Vietnam Grand Prix.

Finally, the sport has a lot of fans in Britain. Lewis Hamilton has a great fanbase in UK and several other rookie drivers from UK are also coming to the sport which proves its importance in Calendar but till the end of 2019, we won't know anything for sure.

The 2019 British Grand Prix will be held from 12th to 14th July on Silverstone.

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Shahmir Khan

Editor-in-Chief WEC & WRC, Member news desk.

In his own words, “17-year-old guy who is avid motorsports gamer. Petrolhead, die-hard F1 and motorsports fan and loves to write about cars and motorsports.”

Shahmir can be easily reached by the following address:

Gmail: shahmirkhan9181@gmail.com