24/09/2009
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he has once again extended the deadline by which time the organizers at Donington must be able to show they have the necessary funding in place.
Speaking in Singapore, Ecclestone, who last month announced another change to the deadline, this time giving Simon Gillett and his team until the end of September, revealed that he had given Donington another week.
Their problem is a financial one, it is them getting the money together," he said, a masterpiece of understatement considering that critics of the Donington proposal were always sceptical, and that was before the global recession took hold.
"Everything was done and ready and when this crisis arrived and the banks pulled the plug on them," he added.
"It was the end of September," he continued, referring to the deadline, "but I think we may extend it a bit, by two or three days. I think we have given them until October 3."
While there is no contract in place, Ecclestone claims that if Donington is not in a position to give the green light the 2010 race will revert to Silverstone.
However, there are many who believe that this will not happen and that Britain could be without a Grand Prix next season. According to sceptics, the fact that the provisional calendar released earlier this week has the British GP clashing with the World Cup Final is further proof that the 2010 race will not happen.