01/05/2013
NEWS STORY
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Organisers of the British Grand Prix are hoping that a home win ahead of the June event will help boost ticket sales.
Although ticket sales are currently going well, it is feared that continued success for Sebastian Vettel - the only driver to have won two races thus far in 2013 - and continued disappointment for the leading British drivers, notably Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button could lead to a drop off in demand which, in turn, would hit circuit owners, the BRDC, where it hurts most, considering the fee demanded by FOM not to mention the upgrades to the circuit and its facilities.
"If you look at the cycle on selling tickets, on the Monday after a grand prix Sunday you tend to see a spike," Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips told Reuters. "The weekend we had Lewis on the podium there was a spike and when you see Vettel there is less of a spike.
"I think the needle-movers for sales are going to be basically 'not Vettel'," he added.
It's a view shared by former F1 star and BRDC president, Derek Warwick. "When we know that Lewis and Jenson are coming into the grand prix off the back of a couple of wins, we see a massive spike in our sales," he said.
Currently, ticket sales are 10 percent down on 2012, a worry when one considers the race fee payable to FOM, which increases annually, and the need to recover the £40m invested in recent years.
Furthermore, in the wake of the debacle that saw race fans turned away from the track ahead of qualifying last year, as organisers attempted to preserve the car parks for race day following weeks of torrential rain, further money had to be spent on improved drainage to campsites, the re-profiling of ditches and new park and ride spaces.