Silverstone owners fear for British GP future

By Alan Baldwin

SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) - Silverstone's owners warned Thursday that the future of the British Formula One Grand Prix could be at stake if, as they fear, Donington Park is not ready to host it next season.

Silverstone, home to the first Formula One championship race in 1950, is due to hand over to Donington after this weekend but that venue will first have to carry out considerable refurbishment.

Although Donington have dismissed fears and said repeatedly they will be ready, British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) chairman Robert Brooks cast doubt on the plans and said Silverstone was ready as a backstop to ensure the event remained on the calendar.

"Donington have got to re-align and re-lay the track, build the grandstands, a lot of different things to bring it all together," he told reporters.

"We've looked at the numbers and we can't make them work.

"We're concerned that if there is a 'sabbatical' it (the race) might disappear thereafter because we all know grands prix don't take sabbaticals terribly well, so 2010 is a big concern for us.

"We don't think, from where we sit, that a summer grand prix in 2010 is a possibility at Donington," added Brooks, who described that facility as a good club circuit but a long way off what was required from an international track.

"I hope we (Silverstone) can continue to discuss the possibility of a 2010 race because we're ready to do that," he said.