The prospect of « sub-optimal » British weather was enough to convince Formula One chiefs not to move Silverstone’s position on the calendar to host F1’s 1,000th race in 2019.
F1 considered swapping next year’s race at the Northamptonshire circuit into the place of the Chinese Grand Prix in April in order to coincide with the landmark. Silverstone hosted the first world championship race in 1950.
Despite searching for a way to create a « nice story » with the anniversary, the sport’s commercial chief, American Sean Bratches, admitted he had underestimated the volatility of the climate in the UK.
« Silverstone was the first grand prix and we would have liked to see the 1,000th go back to the first, » Bratches told Reuters during Spanish Grand Prix weekend. « I think there’s a nice story and a nice harmony there.
« But when I was told, being a relatively new Brit, that the weather is sub-optimal in April, they warded me off that quickly. »
It appears as though the 1,000th race will be hosted by China, which currently sits at the third spot in the calendar. Bratches is keen to make a big deal of the event to capitalise on the size of that market and the significance of the milestone itself.
« We’ve spent a lot of time on this topic and looking at different circumstances, weather patterns. China is a great place to race. It’s part of our future and we’re excited about going there for that particular race.
« That said… next year we’re going to celebrate it as the year of the 1,000th grand prix so you’re going to see integrations across the year celebrating this incredible milestone. »
http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/23499235/f1-considered-moving-british-gp-1000th-grand-prix
