Damon Hill: Silverstone Leaves Door Open for Future British GP

Former Formula 1 champion and current British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) president Damon Hill insisted Silverstone should not be sidelined when talking about a potential host of the 2010 British Grand Prix. The track on which Formula 1 debuted back in 1950 has a long tradition in hosting F1 races and should be given a chance to make a return in the F1 calendar should Donington Park fail to do it themselves.

As shown in several British media – and reported by autoevolution yesterday – the Donington Park leaseholder DVLL was sued by the circuit's owner Wheatcroft & Son Limited for unpaid rent dating back to September 2008.

The news came as a blow to all F1 fans in Great Britain, as this could mean the end of the British Grand Prix. As announced by Bernie Ecclestone earlier this week, if Donington is not able to make the necessary adjustments/improvements to their track by September this year – given the financial difficulties of the aforementioned leaseholder, we'd argue that's highly unlikely – Great Britain will remain without an F1 race.

The 78-year old Englishman made it very clear that, as far as he's concerned, he's not open to the idea of going back to Silverstone for the hosting of the British race. He also urged the UK government to support the race, given the current economical climate. However, Hill insisted he's keeping a close contact with the F1 supremo, leaving the door open to future negotiations.

“We've had communications. There's always been an open line of communication between ourselves and Bernie. We're very keen on Formula One and Silverstone has a long history with formula one, so we've always tried to keep the door open,” said Hill in an interview for British broadcaster BBC.