27/06/2017
NEWS STORY
Silverstone organisers have confirmed that the British GP weekend will cover four days as F2 and GP3 practice moves to Thursday.
Though officially the move is all about easing congestion due to a "packed programme" - a claim that will bring a sigh from those who remember the good old days when the Grand Prix weekend was rounded off by some heavy duty Touring Car action - the fact is that in a bid to increase revenue, Silverstone is following the example of COTA, where last year's attendance was seriously boosted by a post-qualifying concert featuring Taylor Swift.
Indeed such was the success, this time around the Austin circuit has lined up Justin Timberlake.
The revised Silverstone schedule will now see the F2 and GP3 practice sessions moved to Thursday afternoon, followed in the evening by a concert featuring Scottish band Travis.
Tickets for the Thursday are now on at £40 for adults and £20 for children and while fans who already have weekend tickets will get access on Thursday this will not include entry to the Travis gig.
With the ever increasing hosting fees, which FOM has made clear it will not reduce, Silverstone has weeks in which to decide whether to trigger a clause in its contract which would terminate it after 2019.