F1, MotoGP and WSB all at one circuit ... it was going to be inevitable but I'd rather it hadn't come to this.
In an ideal world, F1 would be at Silverstone, WSB at Brands and MotoGP at Donington. Sadly, the world has gone mad and I don't see the old arrangements happening again any time soon. It all comes down to money - those that hanker after a white knight with money to burn to rescue Donny are living a fantasy (unless someone knows an Arab or Russian who has millions to spare who isn't interested in buying a Premier League football club?!). Who in their right mind would take on a circuit at the moment that needs a lot of money spending on it just to make it useable, and then still needs major investment to fix the old Donny problems - toilets, access etc etc. All this with no portfolio of any significant motorsport events to host in 2010? It's a vicious circle and I'm not sure how it can be fixed - though I hope that it can be sorted so that a 'normal' domestic season for Donny can be planned for 2011.
By which time Silverstone will be well on their way to having their shiny new pits and paddock complex completed. Why would MotoGP want to move away after their initial five year contract has elasped? I reckon MotoGP will be at Silverstone for a very long time as there is simply no other venue able to compete with them in terms of circuit (whether you like the new layout or not), facilities and access. It's a depressing situation where only one UK circuit is able to hold premier international motorsport, but that's the stark reality facing us at the moment.
Brands is caught in a situation where even if Palmer could stump up the funding to upgrade the circuit for MotoGP, the district council and the tree-huggers simply wouldn't let it happen. I'd love to see WSB back at Brands, but Palmer, unlike Gillett, won't go chasing a pot of gold that cannot be made to work financially in the short to medium term.
I wonder how long WSB will be at Silverstone .... 3 to 5 years to start?
