Bernie gets gold!

05/08/2012

Even though F1 is on its holidays, Bernie Ecclestone managed to get the sport into the news during a visit to the Olympic stadium on Saturday.

Amidst fears the stadium could become a white elephant, a monument to the event the country hosted but couldn't afford, Ecclestone revived talk of its possible use for motor sport in the future.

On a day that Great Britain went third in the medals table, Ecclestone suggested that though he would like to see a proposed London Grand Prix take place on the streets of the capital, using its numerous landmarks as a backdrop, the Olympic stadium might also make a suitable venue for such an event.

Currently there are four bids on the table as organisers, the London Legacy Development Corporation, look to the future of the Stratford stadium. West Ham United and Leyton Orient football clubs both want it as does the UCFB College of Football Business. Then there is the mysterious Intelligent Transport Services, the consortium that aims to use the stadium for motorsport, specifically a Grand Prix.

"It's surprising how many people have come out, it's good," said Ecclestone. "I'm sure we'd get big crowds," he added, when asked if he could envisage F1 cars in the venue.

"It depends on the circuit," he continued, "at the moment we are just looking at that. Somebody is looking about going into the centre of the arena and out again, so whether that is going happen or not, we'll have a look and see."

However, the F1 supremo made it clear that given the choice, a London Grand Prix would take place on the city's famous streets rather than Stratford, a part of east London that in the eyes of many will remain a dump no matter how much more money is poured into it.

"I'd rather have a race where we originally planned in central London," the F1 supremo admitted. "We looked before about something more central, so we'll see what happens. Let's get this out the way, and then we'll have a look at it."