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Record numbers due at British Grand Prix as F1 hints at 'forever' deal for Silverstone circuit

Record numbers due at British Grand Prix as F1 hints at 'forever' deal for Silverstone circuit

ITV News2 days ago
The chief executive of Silverstone has said he wants to keep the British Grand Prix at the circuit for as long as possible, after the boss of Formula One Stefano Domenicali said it could be the race's "forever" home.
Stuart Pringle told ITV News Anglia the Northampton circuit is "hugely important" for the local area.
Mr Pringle said a record 500,000 people are expected to attend between 3 and 6 July, generating £100 million in ivnestment for the local economy.
He added: "There's not a bed and breakfast, a pub, a restaurant or a campsite that's empty within 50 miles of Silverstone at the moment."
The British Grand Prix is one of the UK's largest sporting events and has been held at Silverstone for 75 years, although Mr Pringle added being forward-focused was just as important as the circuit's history.
"There's a lot of ambition here to improve the facilities over time, and really create the world's greatest motorsport stadium, indeed one of the world's greatest sporting stadiums," he told ITV News Anglia.
"We don't take our position on the calendar for granted, we've got to be the best out there.
"We will continue to push the standards of what we offer here, to impress the fans, to make people come back in their droves. That's what drives us here."
On Wednesday, Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali said he expected the British Grand Prix to stay at Silverstone "forever" ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
F1's American owners Liberty Media struck a new 10-season agreement with Silverstone last year, meaning the race will be held there until at least 2034, in a deal understood to be worth £300m.
Speaking ahead of the 12th round of the campaign, Domenicali said: "I believe that Silverstone has the right characteristics to stay forever on the calendar because there is no other place where you can develop such a huge event in the UK."
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