Donington gets British GP

The British Grand Prix will move to Donington Park from 2010, the FIA has announced.Donington, which recently lost the country’s top motorcycle meeting to Silverstone, has signed a 10-year deal with the governing body of four-wheeled motorsport to bring F1 back to the venue for the first time since the European GP in 1993.F1’s commercial supreme Bernie Ecclestone, who has been involved in intense, often-heated negotiations with Silverstone’s owner the British Racing Drivers Club, expressed regret that the British government had not stepped in to secure the race’s future at the Northamptonshire venue.“I am sorry that we could not have helped Silverstone to raise the money to carry out the circuit improvements and run F1,” he said.“I believe that the government should have supported them which would have cost probably less than .002% of the government’s commitment for the Olympic Games.”He added, “We wanted a world-class venue for Formula One in Britain, something that the teams and British F1 fans could be proud of. The major development plans for Donington will give us exactly that: a venue that will put British motorsport back on the map.Donington’s owners and joint CEOs, Simon Gillett and Lee Gill, said, “We are naturally delighted and extremely proud to have acquired the rights to bring Formula One back to Donington Park from 2010.At the beginning of last year when we acquired the circuit and its substantial lands, we made clear our commitment towards realising the full potential of the Park by making the necessary investments in current and future events that will see Donington revitalised ensuring its leading position as one of the most iconic racing circuits in the world.“To that end, we have now entered a new and exciting chapter in the development of the Park and one that will bring significant investment and regional development while securing the future of one of the most important and significant sporting events in Britain.”The deal arguably has just as many potential pitfalls as those that have hampered talks between Silverstone and Ecclestone in recent years. Donington’s track will need to be lengthened and its pits facilities are poor in comparison with those of the current venue.It also shares access with East Midlands Airport, making traffic management tricky. Donington says that a major shareholder is assisting with a five-year investment plan, worth £100m, that will address these issues.