Formula 1’s commercial leader Sean Bratches has stated that the sport is committed to a British Grand Prix beyond 2019, but refrained from identifying Silverstone as a likely venue.
As the managing director of commercial operations within Liberty Media’s triumvirate, it is expected that Bratches will lead the negotiations towards securing a new British GP deal.
On Tuesday, the future of the race was thrown into jeopardy when current host Silverstone activated the break clause in their contract, meaning that without revised terms, the 2019 race would be the last.
Speaking with BBC this morning, Bratches stated: “We have an extraordinarily positive relationship with our friends and partners at Silverstone and we have three more Grand Prix’s with them this year, in 2018 and 2019.
“A lot can transpire, but I can tell all the fans in Great Britain that we are committed to a British Grand Prix.”
When asked directly if a new deal would be struck with Silverstone, Bratches declined to comment. “It’s premature to even speculate that.”
Silverstone has a long history in F1, dating back to 1950 and the first race in the series. However, with escalating race fees and a lack of government funding for the event, the race is no longer viable for the venue in its current fiscal form.
Bratches’ comment supports the assertion that Liberty could be forced to find a new venue for the race in order to keep the British event on the calendar.
With a race on the streets of London having been the source of speculation since 2012 and with Donnington Park having had previous and recent connections with the sport, Liberty could find themselves with some interesting options.
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