05/07/2007
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone has said that no matter how successful British rookie Lewis Hamilton is on track, it will not affect the F1 supremo's attitude regarding Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix until 2009.
Asked by The Times if his attitude towards the Northamptonshire track is changing in light of Hamilton's success, Ecclestone was quick to respond: "No, not at all," snapped the Englishman.
"I am a realist," continued. "I travel the world and get people to try to build nice circuits and good facilities for the press, the public and everybody else and we are tolerating what we have at Silverstone and it's not going to happen.
"They have known for five or six years what they need to do and they've done absolutely nothing," he added, referring to the track's owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC).
BRDC President, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill last week reiterated his hopes for a £25m 'masterplan', which will hopefully be approved by the clubs members later this month. After years of warring, Hill said that he hoped the club and Ecclestone could 'bury the hatchet' and reach an agreement.
"I don't have a hatchet to bury," Ecclestone told The Times. "They should do what should have been done five years ago.
"I feel sorry for the public that here we are at the British Grand Prix again and we've got a third-rate circuit," he added.