What's the total number Silverstone can hold? I heard 90,000 but that might be over the whole weekend.

The reason I ask is off James Allen's blog:

Despite a large turnover, the profit margins are small on Silverstone, just £650,000 last year.

One solution to raise the income is to open the Grand Prix to more people, but Silverstone has a self imposed limit for health and safety reasons and has ruled out that possibility. http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2009/1...st-british-gp/

Access has been improved, so surely spending more money on extra seating and facilities would make all the difference in the long run? Self-imposing a limit on the number of spectators seems strange when the margins are so tight, especially given how Silverstone always sells out, so there is clearly demand.

This year they announced over the loud speaker that it was 120,000, but then again that is probably over the whole weekend.. http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...lies/smile.gif

well, at least sense is resumed in one place. now we will just have to wait till 2027 for the next major worry abou the future of the british grand prix........

All thank Bernie Ecclestone for this mess.
He awards the rights to a circuit and than starts menacing them. How the F could they get the necessary financial backing in such conditions?!

If I were the Donnington GP boss I'd sue the mophead for this.

The guy is now bankrupt and couldn't afford to take Bernie to court. I'd like to see him do it, but he's ruined over this.. I just hope someone can bail Donnington out and get it to a level where it can begin to stage motorsport events once more.. http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...lies/smile.gif

Donny had planning permission, and some very interesting plans. yes they had some parking problems, but thats never exactly been Silverstones forte either.

If Bernie had not started trying to wriggle out of the contract before the ink was dry, making it obvious he was only playing games to get a deal with silverstone, then Donington more than likely would have had the security of a contract that they could use to attract the necessary funding (credit cruch excepted, which just compounded the issue) but any backers saw straight through it.

if Bernie had been serious we would be at Donington next year, i agree that it was only ever a chip in his armoury and i think it stinks. For what its worth i think Donington could (and still could be again soon) a great F1 venue, and has more features in its favour than Silverstone, albeit the new layout there looks like it could add a bit to the racing.

I believe that the public prosecution could have a say in this if they were to do their job seriously, as this case is certainly also about people losing jobs not only the GP promoter going bankrupt. However I think it's too much to ask from someone working in the public administration. http://www.motorsportforums.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

At last something that vaguely makes sense! I hope that the new track layout doesn't spoil it, it's not too easy to overtake as it is. It doesn't look like a dramatic change though.

Yeah, Donington's bound to go into administration now. Silverstone has said in the past that the new MotoGP deal was more profitable than F1 anyway, so I don't see how Donington can survive with a load of loans and a loss of both its flagship races.

great news- I like DP as a track, but it's a hideous nightmare to get in and out of the place for even BTCC events (I vividly recall the 2 hours it took to get from the M1 to the circuit carpark in the mid 90's)- and it was almost as bad 3 or 4 years ago when I last ventured there

Sure it's not perfect, but Silverstone has worked wonders on traffic management- at the WSR event last year I had no real problems leaving and they had 70,000 that day, nor at the BTCC back in August- 10 mins after reaching the car I was out of the car park- can't ask for anymore

the facilities have greatly improved, although some of the grandstands need replacing. As for the GP itself- it's no better or worse than almost any other track where it's dry- Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Bahrain, Monza, Valencia, Barcelona were complete bore-fests this year

I hope DP can recover from this, but it's lost Moto GP as well, so not sure what that leaves now really for them

I may even make the effort to attend qualifying day next year

For F1 that maybe true but the BTCC has had some absolute classics at Donnington through the years. I've only been there once for the Moto GP but watching the support races from the top of the Craner Curves was a great experience, that sort of elevation change isn't too common at circuits these days and it will be a great shame if the circuit doens't recover to at least hold national events. With the loss of F1 money and MotoGP as well as having to repair the damage the future is very bleak.

I don't think so. While Bernie may have used Donington in his ongoing battle with Silverstone - it's not uncommon in business to play one side off the other, and Bernie's a past master when it comes to making deals - I think Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd should take the greatest proportion of the blame for the mess Donington is in.

It's not Bernie's fault that DVL promised to fund a five-year £100 million investment programme for Donington in July 2008 but failed to deliver, and it's not Bernie's fault that DVL repeatedly promised that Donington would be ready in time for the 2010 British Grand Prix, but failed to deliver.

As others have said Donington just doesn't have the transport infrastructure around it to support F1. Whereas although Silverstone is not brilliant it at least has a dual carriageway to the door. Albeit a roundabout infested one.

I too got stuck for 3 hours getting from the M1 into Donington. The worst being not my situation but those heading for the airport who doubless missed their flights and had their holidays ruined.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80477

New layout proposed.

Instead of worrying about layouts, start thinking of their customers, i;e start building proper Grandstands and facilities for the fans.

Glad to see they listened to me (post 19) and made abbey a flat out right hand kink http://www.motorsportforums.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Gonna be a great place to watch now. The grandstands at maggots/becketts will now get to see the cars twice a lap.

Good work silverstone

This is the same layout map that was proposed for MotoGP back in February and is old news really. This work was planned anyway, so it would be nice to see some relevant news about better spectator facilities IMO...http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...lies/smile.gif

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...es/7897189.stm

The new facilites are marked on that map - you'd assume they are permanent grandstands for F1 and MotoGP. Wonder if BTCC would also run this track config at any point?

id doubt the BTCC would run on the new track. its longer than the current grand prix layout which the BTCC don't run, so i can't see why the BTCC would run on a track longer than the track that they don't run on anyway now. they didnt run on the donny gp layout either for a few years now, and that isnt exactly the longest track in the world either.

As I understand it, the new layout will allow more grandstands to be built. No point building new facilities if you'd then have to demolish them when you upgrade the track. http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...lies/smile.gif

i meant silverstone was rubbish to spectate at, Donny is excellent, you can see more than one corner!