Formula 1 bosses considering London race, says Ross Brawn

Brawn, F1's head of motorsport, has ruled out a city-centre race, but believes there is scope for an event on the outskirts of the capital

Wednesday 19 December 2018 13:58 GMT
Comments
F1 Live was held in and around London's Trafalgar Square in July of last year
F1 Live was held in and around London's Trafalgar Square in July of last year

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Formula One bosses are exploring the possibility of staging a grand prix in Greater London.

Ross Brawn, F1’s head of motorsport, has ruled out a city-centre race, but believes there is scope for an event on the outskirts of the capital.

Brawn told the Evening Standard: “I think because F1 is a week-long activity minimum, the disruption it would cause in the centre of London would be unacceptable. I don’t think Londoners really need to worry about us taking over the centre of London for a week.

“But there are things on the periphery that are being explored – not slap-bang in the centre of London but Greater London.

“London is an iconic city with a massive history in the sport and there’s huge enthusiasm here.”

Any new race would not necessarily affect the future of a grand prix at Silverstone, though.

Next year’s round at the Northamptonshire circuit is due to be the last unless a new agreement is reached.

But Brawn added: “We’d like to see London complement Silverstone, not replace it. We could see ways we could make it work both sides.”

Liberty Media, F1’s American owners, is keen to add city races to the F1 calendar, with a round on the streets of Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi, penned in for 2020.

London has long been talked about as the venue for an F1 race, but a number of obstacles have prevented it from becoming a reality.

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in