Silverstone swansong

By Andrew Fraser
BBC Sport

Silverstone GP axed

It seems hard to believe, but the 2005 Formula One season may well go ahead without a British Grand Prix.

The race has been left out of F1's provisional schedule for next season by the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

That decision still has to be ratified by international motorsport's governing body the FIA at a council meeting on 13 October.

But if it is, the closest the historic Northamptonshire circuit will get to F1 action next year is the occasional testing session.

It would end, at least for the time being, a long and proud tradition of Grand Prix racing in Britain.

But there is no place for sentimentality in F1.

Ecclestone has already demonstrated his ruthless streak by axeing the 2003 Belgian Grand Prix in a row over tobacco advertising.

Austria lost its slot this season for similar reasons, and Canada only survived because it came up with a package to compensate sponsors for its tobacco ban.

Silverstone's fate has also come down to money, with Ecclestone at loggerheads with the British Racing Drivers' Club over how much it should pay to be allowed to stage the race.

The BRDC, which owns the circuit, has told Ecclestone it cannot promote the British GP on his terms without making a loss as the only revenue it can take from the race is the gate receipts.

Appeals to the Government for financial help to make up the reported £3m a race shortfall have so far been in vain.

Countries such as India and Turkey, bolstered by government funding, are queueing up to join newcomers China and Bahrain at the F1 party.

And, with ruling body the FIA looking to trim the calendar back down to 17 races to help teams cope with the cost of competing, Silverstone was skating on thin ice.

Silverstone track guide

The circuit and its owners have been regular targets of criticism by Ecclestone in recent years.

Significant steps have been taken to improve the facilities and solve the traffic problems that have plagued the event.

And this year's race was a sell-out, with 195,000 fans watching the action over the three days.

But it won't just be legions of British petrolheads who are disappointed.

Axeing Silverstone will also be an unpopular move with the drivers, who regard it as a real racer's circuit.

But the same was the case with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps, and that did not stop it spending a year in the wilderness.

The fear for Silverstone is that its disappearance from the Grand Prix scene could be a lot less fleeting.

Feature: What price a London Grand Prix?

The idea of a race through the streets of London received an enthusiastic welcome at a demonstration in July.

About 500,000 fans turned up to see Grand Prix cars cruising down a course between Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus.

And, despite the obvious problems with staging a Monaco-style race in the English capital, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has insisted it is a real possibility.

The BRDC has admitted its offer to Ecclestone falls short of the £9m he requires from race organisers in other countries.

It is not yet too late for Silverstone to stage Britain's biggest annual sporting event next summer, but its omission from F1's draft calendar is a major blow.