London: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has backed Qatari-funded The Alpha Group's bid to take over control of Britain's iconic racing circuit Silverstone for the next 150 years.
Ecclestone believes it would be ‘wonderful' for Silverstone if a consortium funded through Qatar completes the deal. The Daily Telegraph reported that The Alpha Group is a frontrunner in negotiations with the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), which has owned Silverstone for the last 60 years.
According to reports, the group has put down a £1 million (Dh5.92 million) non-refundable deposit to secure a period of exclusivity as preferred bidder.
The BRDC is looking out for investment for the redevelopment of the track and surrounding land. This year new pits and paddock complex, dubbed the Silverstone Wing and built at a cost of £27 million, was opened. BRDC also has ambitious plans to develop the site and build a hotel and conference centre, go-kart track and a University Technical College.
If the deal is sealed, The Alpha Group will end up paying an annual rent of around £2.5 million, while taking on BRDC debt of £23.5 million. The Qatari group also has to commit on spending at least £50 million for developing the circuit.
Meanwhile, McLaren-Mercedes boss Martin Whitmarsh is concerned with the heavy schedule as the next year's Formula One calendar could see record-breaking 20 races. Whitmarsh feels 20 races in a year will put an intolerable strain on crews and drivers. Whitmarsh, who is also the chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association, believes that the crammed schedule is all about money.
"Twenty races and a lot of fly-aways is pretty hard on the team, and we're at the tipping point. We shouldn't have any more than 20," the McLaren team prinicipal was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Whitmarsh feels Formula One should look at adopting a crew rotation system that is employed in NASCAR.
