11/03/2018
NEWS STORY
At a time it remains to be seen when British F1 fans will be able to access the sport's much anticipated, all bells and whistles, streaming service, with no current hope of a breakthrough until Sky's deal ends in 2024, there is also the little matter of the loss of their home Grand Prix.
In the days leading up to last year's British Grand Prix, circuit owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club, despite their previous denials, pulled the plug on their contract to host the race, meaning that as things stand next year's race is the last.
As ever, money is the issue. While the BRDC needs a reduction in the race hosting fee, Liberty Media is unable to offer such a deal, aware that if it were to offer Silverstone a reduced fee other circuits would demand the same.
Taking to BBC's Look East, Ross Brawn claimed that he is "very optimistic" about "Silverstone still being part of the sport", though one would be hard pushed to find anything of real worth in his comments.
"I think Silverstone has a really bright future as part of Formula 1," he said. "We've obviously got the topic of the race coming up, but we're very optimistic we'll find the correct solution between ourselves and the circuit for the future.
"There's a technical centre here, there's a school here, there's lots of businesses getting based here so it's great to see Silverstone prosper," he added. "It's had some tough times in the past but I think it's on an upward trajectory."
All very diplomatic, but none of which actually answers the question that British race fans are asking, namely will there be a British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2020 and beyond.