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A London F1 Grand Prix?


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With the British Grand Prix at Silverstone shortly, the notion of a London Grand Prix has raised its head. Initially the suggestion was a course around the Olympic Park but a suggestion has now been made of central London. Whether this is a gimic or not remains to be seen.

The UK is the centre of Formula 1. Of the current teams Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, Lotus, Williams, Caterham, and Marussia are based here. In countries where Grand Prix has become popular usually due to a successful driver, there has been a second Grand Prix, and of course there are currently plans for two Grand Prix in the USA. With the majority of teams based in the UK, it would not be logistically difficult to get them on the highway down to the capital.

Below is a promotional map of a proposed circuit.

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While an interesting course the big issue for me, is between Trafalgar Sq and the Start/Finish line as this passed through Admiralty Arch making this route extremely difficult.

However it would be possible to go from Trafalgar Sq along Pall Mall and then up to the Ritz hotel and Piccadilly ..... and then come back along the Mall and down Horse Guards Road (instead of down Birdcage Walk),

In my opinion it would make the spectactor areas for more accessible.

Street circuits can be boring. However with a number of straights followed by sharp 90 degree corners where late breaking cars can make a move, a London Grand Prix could be quite different.

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I really can't see this. Firstly, I think Bernie has jumped on this Santander Promo at a convenient time in order to bury bad news (Westminster Council claim they've not even been approached).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18625773

Secondly, logistically this would be a nightmare. Preparations for Monaco begin at the end of April, almost a month before its GP. It's not just a matter of closing the roads for the four racing days. Resurfacing would need to be done, kurbs installed, barriers, grandstands and where on Earth do you build the pits, paddocks, press areas? So we're going to close down central London for a fornight before and a week after are we? Can't see it.

Then there's fitting it in the calendar. Britain is one of only a handful of countries that possibly deserves two GPs, you're right. But actually I don't think any country should have two. And since when has Ecclestone rewarded the UK for its F1 heritage; a few years ago it looked more than likely Silverstone would be pulled? The BRDC were hardballed into building some pretty expensive new upgrades at Silverstone; new pit and paddock complex, new circuit design, new grandstands etc. It has a contract for the next 15 years. Are we going to throw all that out of the window? I hope not. A Lonson GP is superficially attrative but it can't really hold a candle to a real circuit like Silverstone. I'd rather we left these kind of stunts to places like Sochi and Cape Town and concentrated on making Silverstone as good as it can be.

I don't think it can happen and if push came to shove, I probably wouldn't want it to happen either. And as I've said, I've more than a sneaking suspicion that all this noise is just a way of burying bad news anyway.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think this is terrible idea!

I don't like at all the idea of those cars driving dangerously in front of London's most beautiful and iconic places and monuments!

Besides the idea of blocking all activity and traffic in central london for a day is just completely ridiculous!

Btw that image of London with the park in the middle of the city is just gorgeous! I wish the project to "build" one for Paris could go ahead!

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