posted Jan 9, 2009

I've just looked, and the ticket prices for Silverstone this year are £109 for a Sunday general admission ticket+, and they are sold out*. If Donington did the same, then that would, over 10 years, be £109 million from that alone.

Whilst, owing the credit crunch, they might not make as much profit as they originally planned, I doubt that financing will be a serious problem.

+ That's without a reserved grandstand seat.

* - see here if you don't believe me: http://www.britishgp.co.uk/index.asp

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posted Jan 9, 2009

To quote "I've just looked, and the ticket prices for Silverstone this year are £109 for a Sunday general admission ticket+, and they are sold out*. If Donington did the same, then that would, over 10 years, be £109 million from that alone."

Other than the (estimated) 10 to 50million Bernie charges per year to host a race (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7728866.stm), and that Bernie also takes the profits from the concessions stand, and so on, the sums are not so simple. Figures published by various sites indicate that most circuits just about break even over a grand prix weekend - indeed the German Grand prix loses about 1 million dollars per year http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/12/01/doubt-over-german-grand-prix-future/ - and not the quotes from the circuit manager.

I like Donnington as it is now - I don't think that this is a long-term solution (given that Bernie is 78, nothing can be said to be long term in F1 hosting any more...)

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posted Jan 9, 2009

Silverstone as had it's chance to beef it's self up! it's about time another track got the chance to stage the British GranPrix,

Only say that because it's 10 minutes from my house !!! lol

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posted Jan 9, 2009

@snakes77 ...it's 10 minutes from my house...

Is that walking or by car, on GP day more like 10 hours by car

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posted Jan 10, 2009

I have never been to Donnington but judging from all the comments on this site i cant see it working why dont somebody suggest a street circuit in London,I,m sure it could be run in the city area and for those not into the lay out of London i,m talking about the financial district it certainly would not affect traffic on race day so let,s have some ideas. Come on you Londoners and you cockneys i,m sure you have some good ideas mate

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posted Jan 11, 2009

fancybergenfield1 - to host a London GP would be horrendous in financial terms.
They need to make a pit lane, they need to remove the street traffic, build temporary grandstand seating..and with Bernie wanting as much money, it would make too much of a loss to be possible, plus it wouldnt be safe as well.
Monaco, Singapore and Valencia are set in places where they is not enough traffic, however in London there isnt that space.

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posted Jan 12, 2009

I don't think that Donnington's infastructure can cope with the ammount of people that would see an F1 race at donnington, even with redevelopment. They stuggle to cope with about 40,000 spectators for a British Superbikes meeting!!!

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posted Jan 12, 2009

Ecclestone is his usual brilliant, if somewhat greedy, self. To have taken away the British GP from Silverstone and handed to a more luractive country would have been viewed as too much greed to accpet. However, by coming up with a deal which on the face of it shows a degree of wishing to remain within the UK for a round only for the obvious fact that it won't happen (which of course is not Bernie's fault under this contrivance) is a Bernie Masterclass in making a profit.
I wonder what the penalty clauses are for Gillet if he does not provide? Something makes me suspect they won't be that horrendous if there any atall.

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posted Jan 14, 2009

Not sure why people are bleating about access to DP. I went to the Le Mans meet at Silverstone in Sept which was considerably fewer spectators than a GP achieves and it was bedlam getting in there.
Perhaps we should club together with France and share a GP on alternate years until the credit crunch ends.

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